The Third Option
by MaBre85
Summary: The story takes place right at the end of episode 5. Max chose to sacrifice Chloe in order to save Arcadia Bay. But what if Max couldn't do it? What if she found a way to save her best friend and Arcadia Bay? What would change or what wouldn't change?
1. Chapter 1: Silence

**Author's Note: Wowser, so this is it, my first Fanfic. I've been writing on this story for almost a year now and thought it would be a waste of all this spent hours to let it rot on my computer.**

 **Had the idea right after I played Life Is Strange the second time and it bugged me that the endings were (sorry Dontnod), mildly spoken, not satisfying and didn't fit to such a great game. So, I created my own ending. First thought as a One-Shot it developed into a fullsize story.**

 **I'll try to update and add new chapters as fast as possible, but since they need some revision, it could take some days. So, be patient!**

 **Since English is not my native language, the story is written in a rather simple English and may contain some grammar and vocabulary mistakes, sorry for that. But you're free to help me out with some major mistakes, I'd appreciate it!**

 **Chapter 1: Silence**

A click. A flash. The whirring sound of the mechanism that releases picture from my Polaroid-Camera. I grab the picture, put my Camera back into my bag and look at it; look at the blue butterfly on the bucket; look at the picture that started everything; the picture that is going to end it all. I am back in the restroom, behind the stalls. It is silent again, no whipping winds of the storm, no freezing rain and no Chloe. I am alone, for now.

I let the picture fall to the ground. I lost all hope, because I know what is about to happen. I've been here before, watched the events to come. I'm here, back in the past, to let my best friend; my first priority, my love; die on the floor of this filthy, shitty restroom.

Quietly I spy around the corner and hope that there is no one coming in, that this all is never gonna happen and that Chloe is safe. But a few seconds later this hope is utterly destroyed as Nathan Prescott enters the restroom, totally fucked up as he starts talking with himself. I hide again, don't even listening to his words, I don't care.

And then the door opens again and I hear this sweet voice; the voice that I heard moments ago for the last time. I want to scream, want to stop the inevitable, but I mustn't, there is no other way, I would fuck up again and the next time I wouldn't probably able to fix it. I have to be strong!

Both of them are having an argument now. Nathan threatens Chloe with his gun, I can hear the fear in her voice; her sweet, sweet voice; and now I know that I cannot let this happen again, not on my watch, not after this kiss! And there is only one way to stop this; only one way to safe Chloe's live without using my powers; the way I should've taken from the very start, instead of hiding cowardly in the corner.

"Nobody would even miss your sorry punk ass, would they?" shouts Nathan.

"Wrong Nathan, I would miss her punk ass!"

Before I knew that I said these words - which just popped into my head - out loud, I just did it. At the same time I step around the corner.

Without any hesitation Nathan turns around and points the gun at me, but still holding Chloe on her leather jacket.

"Who the fuck are you?" He shouts at me.

Chloe looks at me with both eyes wide open. "Max?"

Before losing all my courage, I just start to say everything that comes into my mind to calm Nathan down.

"Nathan, you don't have to do this!" My voice shakes. I'm so fucking nervous.

"Shut up, bitch! I don't need another person that tries to patronize me, I make my own decisions, and I can do whatever I want!" He shouts again, but there is some uncertainty in his voice.

"No, you can't!" I shout back.

In the meanwhile Nathan loosens his grip on Chloe and focuses completely on me. Chloe walks a few steps away from him and I hope, from the depth of my heart, that she won't bail on me now.

"Nathan, you are used by so many persons. You stopped making your own decisions a long time ago."

"How would you know that? You don't know me; I don't even know who the fuck you are!"

"I know a lot about you; and about Mr. Jefferson and his Dark Room."

Nathan looks at me with eyes wide open, his lips are shaking, speechless, but the gun still pointing at me.

"Max…" Chloe still stares at me in total awe.

"I'll explain later, I promise." As I speak to her my voice is soft.

"NO, you'll explain it to me now, you whore! I…want…to…know…everything!" His yelling voice shakes now, but it is not out of fear, more because of his anger.

"And I will, Nathan. But at first I want you to put that gun away! I know, you don't want to hurt anybody. You're just totally stressed out by the hard time that your father and Mr. Jefferson are giving you. You need to come clean and tell the police everything, make up for this mess you are in."

I say all this words with a comforting voice, in hope that Nathan will hear them and as he starts to cry and puts the gun down I think that he understood me. He sobs. "I tried. I tried to do everything, just to get some respect. I didn't want to hurt anybody, not Rachel, not even Kate. I just thought that I could at least impress Jefferson, but he always shouts at me and…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time-out!" Chloe shouts and interrupts Nathan. And as I wonder why, I realize that Nathan just said the wrong word. Rachel! In a split second I know that I need to intervene now.

"Chloe, don't!" But before these words can even reach Chloe she is on a rage and grabs Nathan, completely ignoring the fact that he still has the gun in his hands.

Chloe shouts Nathan in the face. "What the hell do you know about Rachel? Tell me now you sick piece of shit!"

In a second Nathans face turns from sad to angry and he raises his gun again. In panic I just do the only thing that comes into my mind. I jump forward against Nathan and try to rip the gun out of his hands.

And then there is a shot; loud, ringing in my ears. After that, time flows in slow motion. I can see the faces of Chloe and Nathan, both stare at me in shock. I hear the gun hitting the floor. My view gets a little blurry and I fear that I'll travel back to the present any moment now; I fear that I have failed again; that Chloe got shot again. I look down onto her stomach, but there is nothing, no wound, no blood; though I'm feeling a sting in mine. Now I look down on myself and see my hand on the right side of my belly. Blood flows and drips between my fingers onto the ground. My legs can't hold me anymore; the world goes upside down as I fall to the ground. My vision blurs more and more, it is hard to focus. Nathan is also on the ground in fetal position, whining and shaking. If he is down because he has got a meltdown or Chloe hit him, I don't know, I don't care. I look up and see Chloe above me and I smile; I smile, because I know that at least she is safe now. I can hear her lovely voice again, echoing in my ears.

"Max! Oh fuck, Max! Just hold on, ok! You're gonna be fine!"

I see the door behind her opens again and David Madsen stands there. I focus on him and for a short moment I see the worries in his eyes. He's changing his view from Chloe to Nathan to the gun and finally to me.

"Chloe! What the hell happened here?" he asks.

"It's Max, David. She's been shot! Please, help her!" Chloe's eyes and cheeks are wet from tears. Her voice is shaky.

David turns his head and he shouts out of the door into the main hall. "Get an Ambulance here, ASAP!" Then he rushes in, kicking Nathans gun away in the process and kneels down beside me. He looks at my wound, and then turns to Chloe. "Chloe, put your jacket under Max's head." She does as she is told. He pulls some Army-Bandage out of his pocket, unwraps it and puts it on my wound, it hurts a lot and I groan in agony. "Put pressure on this bandage to slow down the bleeding. I'm just gonna wrap up this son of a bitch." David puts some cuffs on Nathan and leaves the restroom with him.

My mind drifts away, more and more. I look at my Chloe and with all the strength I have left, I raise my hand and touch her face.

"Chloe…" My voice is fading.

"What is it Max?" She sobs again.

"You are safe…"

A little smile occurs on her face. "Well duh, you just saved my life, dork! Now just save your strength and hold the fuck on, help is coming!"

And finally I whisper the last words before the world disappears in darkness. "I love you, Chloe..."

Then all I hear is Chloe's fading voice, calling my name in the distance. And there it is again; silence.


	2. Chapter 2: Darkness

Chapter 2: Darkness.

Darkness surrounds me.

I try to open my eyes, but it won't work. I can hear distant chatter, but I can't understand it. And then there is a strange sound, like a heartbeat.

 _Beep…beep…beep._

Again I hear the chatter in the distance, this time a bit louder. And there is still the constant beeping. Am I dead? Is this how it all ends? Or am I just stuck between realities again, because I fucked up big time? No, I can't be dead! I just saved Chloe; I want to be with her! I need to wake up!

A glimpse of light appears as I try to open my eyes. It's small, not very bright, but it's there. The beeping sound gets louder.

 _Beep…beep…beep._

It's working. I put all my concentration into opening my eyes. The light gets brighter. I start to see some shapes, they are blurry, indistinct. I try to move. But as hard as I try, it won't work. So I just return my complete focus on opening my eyes a bit more. My vision improves more and more; the shapes become clearer.

And then I see movement. A blurry, bluish ball flies towards me and then I hear a familiar vice, calling my name.

"Max?" says this voice. But it is still distant and interrupted by this annoying beeping sound."Max? Are you awake? It's me, Chloe!"

Chloe! It's Chloe's voice! But before I can answer or even enjoy the moment I lose all my focus. The darkness comes over me, again. My vision fades and with it Chloe's voice, all I can still hear is the monotone, continuous beeping.

Out of nowhere a bright light blinds me. After a moment I can see a couch in front of me, nothing else. I try to move, and again I fail, but not because of the lack of strength, but because of the restrains, binding me to a chair. And in this very moment I realize that the couch in front of me is the same as in the Dark Room. Pure panic rushes through my body. I move more, putting all my strength together and try to break the restrains, but all I manage is to hurt myself. Out of despair I start to cry.

"Oh Max, don't cry. This will ruin my shots."

I know this damn voice. It's the voice I hate with all of my guts. I look up and see Mr. Jefferson, sitting on the couch with a glass of whisky.

"You sick bastard, fuck you!" I scream at him.

"Yes, that's what I want to see. But sadly I'm not here to take some pictures of you." He has an amused grin on his lips.

"Then why am I here?"

Jefferson stands up and walks around, like he did in class. "Now that is a good question and if I had to guess, then I would say that you have a pretty fucked up nightmare." He shrugs. "But since you're bound to my nice, cozy chair, why don't we just talk?" As I hear his voice I would love to run away or just kick him in his balls.

"Oh Mark, I think she hates you" Another familiar voice. Nathan!

"That would be Mr. Jefferson for you Nathan! But Max, you can call me Mark, if you want."

"Not in a fucking million years!" I spit to the ground.

"Ah, you've developed some temper. I think, this one week taught you more than I could have in a whole year. Just too sad that your little Punk friend had to go over the planks."

"No, she's alive! I saved her!"

He turns to me, his expression solid as a rock. "But to what price? No pun intended."

"That was a good one Mr. Jefferson!" Nathan cheers.

"Just shut up, Nathan" I notice that Jefferson gets annoyed of Nathan, but I don't care, they both can go to hell.

"I saved her and that is all that matters to me!" My voice is adamant. You won't break me, Jefferson!

"That's so selfless and yet so selfish. You altered your reality, you destroyed fate and in the end you got yourself shot, and all this for just one person; for one really fucked up person I must notice! I mean, why would you do that? Why? Tell me, Max!"

I think about this one week with Chloe, the time we spent, the adventures we had and the many deaths she died. Now tears are running down my cheeks "I love her." My voice is nothing more than a whisper.

"What was that, Max? I couldn't hear you. Speak up, when you answer my questions! How often do I need to tell you this? Now, again!" His voice is now commanding.

"I love her." This time I say it a little bit louder.

"Again, Max! Louder!" He shouts.

Now anger crawls up inside me. I scream into his face. "Because I fucking love her, you sick bastard! Are you satisfied now?"

"Now that's the spirit!" He cheers.

"Whoohoo, I didn't see that coming. I like girl-on-girl action." Nathan says it with a big grin on his ugly face.

Jefferson just ignores him and continues. "Now that we are clear on this fact, let's look at some other details, shall we? You saved her life over and over again. How many times was it? Ah, forget it, you may have lost count." Five times and I remember each and every one of it. "But in the end, she kept on dying, again and again; one time even by your own hand and you always tried to change it. Finally, it seems you've succeeded, but - and now comes the funny part - you couldn't prevent the shot. Just think about this fun fact!"

All I can do is listening to his sick words and as much as I like to ignore them, they all flow into my head and I regrettably understand them, they are logic, they make absolutely sense. He's right! I saved Chloe, but I couldn't prevent the shot. But instead of her, Nathan shot me; the event took place. Maybe Chloe didn't die; maybe I died myself; and now I won't see her ever again. As this thought strikes into my mind, I feel desperate and hopeless again.

He continues and a smile grows on his face "I knew that you would understand me, Max. You know, Max, love can be a very wonderful thing, it has unimaginable power, but eventually you can't change fate with it. In the end someone has to die."

"How about you, motherfucker?" This voice, this sweet, familiar voice again! I look up and see Chloe sitting right on the edge of the couch, arms crossed. Her face has a rebellious expression.

Hope returns, and I smile. "Chloe!"

"Heya, Max!" She returns a big smile.

"Well, well, well! Speaking of the devil…" Jefferson looks away annoyed and tries to ignore her.

"Shut the fuck up, you asswipe!" Chloe always knows the right answers! Then she turns her head to Nathan and points her finger at him. "And I don't want to hear any fucking syllable from you either or I'm gonna slap you silly!"

Nathan keeps his mouth shut, looking terrified and Jefferson stands aside as she walks up and crouches in front of me, her expression serious. "And now I hella wanna have a talk with you. What the fuck are you doing here? Are you comfortable in your cozy chair? Do you want me to bring you some fucking popcorn while these two fuckers continue talking this bullshit to you? Do you wanna crawl back into your cocoon and wait until you die all alone?"

She looks deep into my eyes and I feel nothing but shame. I feel the heat crawling up my face. "I'm sorry."

"No! I don't want to hear that! You are not Maxine _chickenshit_ Caulfield anymore! You are Max _superhero-saves-Chloe's-ass_ Caulfield, who went through time and space for me! And I want you to be badass, to break this fucking restrains, to go into this light and wake the fuck up!" Her finger points to a bright spot on the horizon that I didn't recognize before. She waves her other hand in front of my eyes. "Helloooo, are you still here? Get this bony, but sweet little ass in gear right now and move!"

I move my arms and legs and the Ductape suddenly snaps like butter. I stand up and now I'm face to face with Chloe. She smiles warmly. "That's my Max!"

I smile back and before I come to my senses I wrap my arms around her neck and kiss her on her lips. I take my head back a little. "I love you, Chloe!"

She grins at me and shrugs. "Yeah, I know! I'm so adorable."

I smirk at her. "Jerk!" Then I start running towards the light.

"Max!" It was Jefferson again. I stop and glance back over my shoulder and give him a cold expression. "Always remember: in the end someone has to die!" His face has no mean expression, it is the face of the teacher I liked and at this point I know that there is some truth in his massage. I turn my head back to the light and start running again.


	3. Chapter 3: Brightness

Chapter 3: Brightness

The closer I get to the light the more I'm blinded by its purity. The beeping gets louder and I start to see some shapes again. I'm not running anymore. Some feeling returns into my limps, I can move my hands, but it takes a lot of strength; I feel weak. I try to move some more, but suddenly a hot pain emerges from my stomach. I groan and again this blurry bluish ball moves in front of my face.

"Max!"

I hear Chloe's voice and this time I manage to focus and answer to her. "Chloe." My voice is weak; my throat is dry.

"Yeah, Max. It's me!" I can hear the joy that comes with her voice.

With every second my vision improves and after a short while I can see Chloe's face clearly in front of me. She smiles and all I want to do is pull her to me and hug her. So I collect all of my strength, grab her on her leather jacket, pull her to me, completely ignoring the pain and give her a hug, big time.

"Oh, Chloe!" I instantly start to cry in relief.

"Whoa, somebody seems to be very happy to see me." Every one of her words fills me with pure joy; I hug her even stronger. "Okay, okay, okay, down Max, mushy time's over!"

I release her, falling back onto my pillow, wiping the tears of my cheeks. I look around and recognize this hospital room. It is the same room where I visited Kate, after she tried to commit suicide.

"So Max, how are you feeling, except your need to hug me to death?" Chloe disrupts my thoughts.

Only one fitting answer comes into my mind. "I feel like shit."

"I see that your vocabulary has improved since last time I saw you."

I smirk at her. "Dork!" And she just smirks back.

"Wow, it gets even better!" She cheers, then her expression changes and becomes a little more seriously. "You gave me quiet a scare, Max."

"I know." Suddenly I feel ashamed and look down onto my hands, like a child that did something wrong.

Chloe ignores it and continues in a happier tone. "BUT, your condition is increasing and after this long sleep you're gonna be hella fine."

I feel a sting in my heart and all I can think about is the storm. Did I stop it or is it still coming? I need to know! I look at Chloe, trying to not show her my concern and panic. "How long have I been knocked out? What day is it?"

"Well, you slept pretty tight. It's Sunday, so you were out for 6 days."

"Wowser, 6 days." I say this more to myself then to Chloe. "And there was no storm, no weather anomalies?"

"No. Well, it rained yesterday, but I don't think that's what you're meaning or is it? Are you okay?"

"Oh thank dog." Now I feel free and really relieved. It worked! I stopped the storm and Chloe is still alive. I close my eyes and just smile; letting this thought sink deep into me. If I could, I would like to do some stage diving.

"Max. I know that this has all been really hard on you; I mean getting shot and shit; but since I first saw you on Monday, you're acting kinda strange." Her voice sounds worried; her expression is serious. She knows me too well; she knows that there is more. But I try to ignore it, because I'm not ready to tell her the whole story, not yet. I need to know more.

"Chloe, please tell me everything I missed!" I say it with a firmly expression.

"Well, where should I start? Nathan got a complete meltdown after he shot you and I punched him. They brought him into a loony bin and after one day he confessed everything. By the way, did you know that one of your teachers is a psychopath?"

"Yes, I do." I answer automatically, without thinking about it. But Chloe doesn't seem to notice or she just doesn't want to and continues.

"So, this Jefferson guy is now in Prison and faces multiple charges of kidnapping, drug abuse, mayhem and…and…" She suddenly stops and I hear a sob.

I look into her face and see a tear running down her left cheek. I finish her sentence. "…and murder on Rachel Amber."

She nods and her expression becomes serious. "Ok, Max. Now cut the crap. I want to know why the fuck you know all this, right now! You were completely zonked out the whole week and you seem to know fucking more than I do. And I've the feeling that you knew everything before we even met. You told me back then that you wanted to explain everything to me later. So, now it is later, 6 fucking days later. Just tell me, please, before I completely freak out here!"

I look deep into her blue eyes and gather all my courage and strength. It is time, faster than I wished, but I can't put it off any longer. So much for not telling her right now. Enter facepalm here. "Ok, you're right, I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise me to listen carefully and let me finish."

"I swear!" She swears with her right hand on her heart.

For the next half an hour I tell Chloe the whole story, how I altered time and reality just to keep her by my side, the adventures and pain we went through, how we solved the mystery about Rachel's disappearing, the Dark Room, the storm and finally how I ended up in this reality and saved her life again; hopefully for the last time.

Chloe kept her promise and didn't say one word. I saw how she sucked in every word I said; how her expression went sadder and sadder; how tears flowed down her cheeks. And as she looks up into my eyes again I can see that she believes me, that she believes every word I just said.

"Oh Max. I'm…I'm so sorry. I…"

"It's ok." I lay my hand on hers but she withdraws it.

"No Max, it's not ok! You hella risked your life and went through all of this just to keep my sorry ass alive! And I always thought that nobody even fucking cares about me; that everyone hates me. I believed Nathan's words in the restroom; I believed that no one would ever fucking miss me. And then you came along and proofed him and me wrong. I didn't understand and I still don't understand why you did that. Just out of friendship? Because of one week we spent together? You didn't even bother giving me one little massage in five years and suddenly you changed all this? You risked your fucking life for me, but why?" I look down onto my hands again. I know the answer but I am too ashamed to say it out loud. I feel that I am blushing. "Do you really love me, Max? Is this the thing that changed in this one week?" She asks it all of a sudden. Without shame. Without hesitation.

At first I look at her with my eyes wide open; my mouth just forms the words that I thinking. "How do you…?" My heart rate increases and I feel even more ashamed that Chloe can hear it on the ECG. All I can manage is to nod, turning my head away; I feel so embarrassed.

And then there is a silent moment, nothing happens. The only thought coming into my mind is that Chloe is gonna run out of the room, never talking to me ever again. But nothing like this happens. Chloe touches me under my chin softly, moves my head up so I look into her deep blue eyes again.

Her voice is nothing more than a whisper. "You talk in your sleep." She leans slightly towards me, our noses nearly touching each other. "I love you, too." And then she presses her soft lips onto mine. I feel the warmth of her lips, feel her breath on my face, it's like a dream. With every breath I soak in her lovely smell. I don't want this moment to stop, but out of nowhere I feel the strength leaving my body again, I try to stay focused, try to prevent this moment from stopping, but it's a fight I can't win and then suddenly sleep is wrapping his arms around me.


	4. Chapter 4: Dreamless

Chapter 4: Dreamless

I can't even remember the last night without a nightmare. It seems like ages that I had a normal life; a life without guns, storms, death, psychopaths and sadly, even without love. It all changed so fast that my mind couldn't process it. But after this last kiss and the knowledge that I prevented all this terrible things from happening, I just feel free. Free of the burdens that rested on my shoulders for so long. My mind finally comes to rest and with it everything else.

It feels like I have only slept a few seconds, but as I open my eyes I realize that it is already dark outside and only the reading lamp on my nightstand - which is filled with flowers and Get-Well-Cards - enlightens the room a bit. Thank dog, someone turned off this damn ECG. Chloe's still there, sitting on a chair beside my bed, sleeping bent over, using my right thigh as pillow. She looks very cute when she's asleep, snoring a little bit. It remembers me of last Wednesday, when I crashed at her place; in her bed. I can't resist moving my hand to her head, starting to brush through her blue hair.

Suddenly she starts to smile. "Can't sleep anymore, sleeping beauty?"

Out of pure instinct I withdraw my hand.

"Hey, don't stop! It feels kinda good!" She opens her eyes and I continue to brush her hair.

"You're still here, isn't visitor's time over?"

"Yeah, but where else should I be? In my shitty room, waiting until tomorrow morning, dying of boredom in the process? Nah, I'd rather bore myself to death on your side."

"But if they see you here after the visitor's time, they'll throw you out, maybe forever!"

"This won't happen! My attitude is very well known around here, so I can stay as long as I want!" She stretches herself with a groan. "By the way, you could've told me that my kisses are that boring."

I blush. "Sorry about that, but I was just so exhausted and..."

Chloe now straightens up and puts on her mocking face. "Well, maybe next time I should bring in some tongue action!"

I know this expression and I won't fall into her trap this time. So I just look firm into her eyes with a smirk and answer "Maybe you should." Her smile fades. She looks back at me with pure unbelief, her face blushing. There are not many moments Chloe Price is speechless and in this case I just cherish it.

After a minute I break the silence and look down onto my hands. "By the way, thanks for not running away."

"What?! Why the fuck should I run away from you, Max?"

I shrug. "Y'know… the love thing and everything I told you. Wasn't it a bit too much?"

"Well yeah, it was, but I just…I don't know…It just felt right." Her face is thoughtful as if she tries to find the right words. But I feel that there is more to that than she wants to admit. I need to know.

"What do you mean?"

Now Chloe shrugs. "I don't know, but I think I always had some crush on you. I always enjoyed your company and after my dad died you were the only one who could fill the empty space in my heart. Even in these bad times you made me smile. I just needed you." Chloe's expression becomes sad as she continues. "Then all of a sudden you moved to Seattle, leaving me alone with all this grief and a new big hole in my heart. Every day that you were gone, I became more and more depressed. Only mom was there for me and she had enough on her own tab, especially after David came into our lives. I felt so alone and I was jealous of her, because she had someone to love, someone who comforted her."

She takes a little break to breathe in and out deeply; I see tears running down her cheeks. I remain silent, feeling a great deal of guilt inside of me.

"After that, my life went totally to shit. My grades became worse, people didn't matter to me anymore; if I needed someone I just used them before throwing them away afterwards. Finally, I ran away from home and started to take serious drugs, financed by my College-Fund. After the police brought me home the first time, mom cried and David raged against me. They wanted to stick me into a fucking clinic; wanted me to go to a psychiatrist. That was the time everything went from bad to worse. I couldn't sleep anymore, became mentally unstable, and had big depressions. I decided that I didn't want to live like this anymore. I wanted this fucking pain in my heart to go away forever. Nobody cared anyway. So I smoked a shitload of weed to overcome my fears and after that, I took a pile of different pills which I got from Frank Bowers. The next morning, David found me on the floor of my room, laying in my own vomit. He brought me here into this hospital. They pumped the whole shit out of my body. David saved my life and at this time I hated him for this. He took away my own fucking decision."

Now I feel even more like shit; the guilt inside me starts to eat my soul. I start to cry. It was my entire fault. Chloe went through hell and I was save and sound in Seattle; I didn't care, left her alone, too afraid to write one little letter or give her even a phone call. I hate myself for this! And I'm not sure, if I'll ever be able to forgive myself.

"Eventually I was here; had a lot of time to think about things. And so I thought to myself, if fate wants me to stay on this fucking planet, for whatever reasons, I wanna fucking rock this joint until it was time to go. So I hella raged on everyone and started to make trouble wherever I could, even in this hospital. Finally, I wanted to leave this shitty town and continue my rage somewhere else. This was about the time I met Rachel. With her I had a reason to live again, she filled my heart and I fell in love with her. But I had the feeling that there was still something missing. I didn't know what it was, until last Monday." She looks at me. "There you were again, back from Seattle, standing there in this damn restroom, telling Nathan that you would miss me, saving my ass in progress. After Rachel went missing you were the first bright spot after six fucking months. And suddenly I knew that you've always been this part that I missed all the time. After this crazy story you told me before, I just knew even more that we were meant to be together; that I needed you in my life; that I always needed you; that I always loved you. That's the reason I didn't run away. The reason why I kissed you!"

All these words are hitting me like a hammer in my guts. "Chloe, I'm so, so sorry!" It is the only thing I manage to say between my sobs. I hug her, crying even more. "I swear that I will never leave you ever again! From now on I'll stay on your side forever and no one is gonna separate us ever again!"

I feel that Chloe starts to sob, that she cries out of joy. "Thanks Max! I won't leave you, too!" Now she hugs me even harder, as if she never wants to let me go again. It hurts in my stomach, but I don't want to let her go either.

After what felt like an hour, we separate again. Wiping off our tears and cleaning our noses with a whole box of Kleenex.

Chloe shakes her whole body making a sound of disgust. "Ugh! Well, mushy time's over." I smile. The original Chloe is back. "Now, I have some news for you! Your parents were here! They visited you daily the first 4 days but needed to return to Seattle for the weekend." I just nod. They're very busy people; Dad with his Building company and mom with her new online-shop. "Anyway, they wanted me to call them as soon as you're awake and I did, just after you fell asleep again. They'll arrive tomorrow midday. They said that they want to talk with you about something important."

I shrug and watch at the clock. It's 2 am. "Well, if they have to say something important I should get some more rest."

"You think it could be bad news?"

"No, but my mom is able to talk you into sleep and if I'd do so while she's speaking to me, she'd not be as forgiving as you are." I say it with a smirk. "So, I need some more sleep and you'll need it too, because you're gonna stay with me through the whole conversation!"

Chloe looks at me in unbelief, but then shrugs. "Ok, it's your call, but don't freak out when I start to snore!"

I smile at her and lay my hand on her shoulder. "You'll do fine!" I move a little bit to the side to make some space on my bed and pat that new free space. "Come on, let's go to sleep."

Again, Chloe looks to me in unbelief. "What are you doing?"

"Making some space for you so that you can sleep in my bed. It's big enough and I can use some cuddling; or do you prefer the chair?" I smile victoriously as Chloe sighs, taking off her boots and lies herself beside me.

"You're so cheesy Max!"

"Are you comfortable? You can thank me later." Before she can even give an answer I kiss her on the forehead and move as close to her as possible, enjoying her warmth and her smell. "Good night, Chlo!"

"You too, Max!"

One minute later Chloe falls asleep. But I can't. I lie there, staring at the ceiling and ask myself what important things my parents want to talk about. I know them very well and important means that some pretty big shit is going on. Luckily my thoughts are drifting away into sleep before I can even think about some worst-case-scenarios.


	5. Chapter 5: Awake

**Chapter 5:** **Awake**

As I wake up, the sun shines clearly through the window. Wowser, it just comes to my mind, that I haven't taken a shot in a whole week. I can't even remember the last time I had such a big photo break. I miss my camera…and Chloe. She's gone! Has my cheesy behavior driven her away? Then I hear some sounds from the bathroom, a toilet flushes, and after a few seconds a relieved Chloe comes through the door.

She looks at me, waving her hand before her nose with an expression of disgust. "Phew! Max, you shouldn't go in there for the next hours!"

I look at her with big eyes and a wrinkled nose. "Gross!"

"What? It's the way of nature." She shrugs.

"Now I don't want to give you a good-morning-kiss anymore!" She makes a sad face. And before I could say something else my stomach starts grumbling like a big, angry dinosaur.

Chloe looks at me with a big smile. "Hungry?" I nod. "Me too, I'll go and get us some bite! Any wishes?" I shake my head. "Alright, I'll be back soon." She goes to the door and leaves the room.

I try to sit up some more. It's already 10 am. My parents will be here in a few hours. Now that Chloe is gone and I'm not distracted anymore, I have some more time to look around. I'm not attached to the ECG anymore. But there are some other tubes which are leading into my body. One leads from my left arm to an empty bottle on a rag; the other one from a bag on the side of my bed to my private parts. Gross! I want these things out of my body, now! But I can't remove them myself and I won't even consider Chloe to do it. I push the red button and wait for a nurse.

A few minutes later an older nurse with blonde hair and a big nose sticks her head into the room. "Is she gone?"

I look at her with an asking expression. "Who?"

"The scary girl with the blue hair."

"Oh, you mean Chloe. Yeah, she's not here." Before I could ask any more questions about this behavior I suddenly know why she asked. Chloe told me about the reputation she has in this hospital and if I know something, you don't want to mess with Chloe Price.

The nurse now enters the room. "What can I do for you, Miss Caulfield?"

I smile at her with the sweetest smile I can afford in my condition. "I want to get out of this bed to move my legs; and take a shower before my parents come to visit me. Can you get someone to remove these tubes, please?"

"Oh, I could do that Miss Caulfield. But unfortunately I can't do it without the permission of my superiors." She puts on some sugar sweet smile, but this doesn't comfort me at all. I want out of this fucking bed or I'm gonna get crazy!

I know that this is mean and I'm sorry to use Chloe this way, but I just want to stand up; to move on my own, without something dangling from my private area. "You know, Chloe Price is my best friend and she's gonna be really pissed when she hears that you couldn't grant me this simple wish." I put on a vicious grin to emphasize this sentence and have a bad conscious at the same time.

Her face turns pale; the smile fades into pure panic. "No, please! Please don't do that! I'll remove the tubes." Well, that was easy. What did Chloe do to her? She instantly starts to work and after some unpleasant moments I'm free of these tubes. No more peeing in a fucking bag!

I smile at the nurse. "Thank you and sorry for the threat, but I just want to walk some steps! I won't tell anybody that you removed the tubes, promised"

She smiles back with relief. "Thank you. You're a nice girl. Would you like some breakfast?"

"No thanks, Chloe went to get me some."

"Alright, then I'll be on my way again. If you need anything else, just hit the button!" The nurse leaves the room and I'm alone again.

I try to move my legs over the edge of the bed. It's hard and it hurts in my stomach like hell, but I manage to do so. As my feet are touching the cold ground I try to stand on them, holding tight on the rails of the bed. My legs are shaking; I try a step and fail. I fall back onto the bed with my ass. Shit, I'm too weak. And as I want to try again, Chloe comes in with two trays and her mouth full of food.

She stares at me and nearly chokes on some cake, coughing it out. Between the coughs I understand two words. "Butt…naked!" I turn my head as far as I can and touch my naked butt. Oh no, I haven't noticed that I wear one of those damn hospital gown. I sit down again, my face blushing from shame.

After Chloe stopped coughing she puts the trays on the table. "That was a sweet sight! Thanks for the nice view, but next time, do it when I don't have anything in my mouth!"

"Jerk!"

"Whoa, bad mood? I just made you a compliment!"

"Maybe. But I'm still a shy, half naked hipster, who's very hungry and needs some help to get to the table to eat something."

Chloe understands and helps me walking to the chair. It is hard, every step hurts. I'm relieved as we reach the table and I'm able to sit down. The food smells really good though and I start to eat everything, until I feel totally sick.

"Whoa, Max! Slow down, you haven't eaten real food in a whole week. Even I know that it's not good to eat that much all of a sudden."

I just nod, because if I say any word I'm gonna puke all over the place. So we continue eating in silence.

After finishing the big meal, I want to take a shower. Chloe walks me to the bathroom and I know that I couldn't even take a piss without any help, so I ask Chloe if she could help me again and she uses the situation for a mock.

"Really, Max? Half an hour ago you were angry at me, that I saw your sweet butt and now you want me to undress and shower you?" I just nod; this is so embarrassing for me, even if she's already seen me naked, back in the old days. "Should I look away?" She says it with a sarcastic voice. I just look at her with an angry and totally blushed face. She puts her hands in the air in defense. "Ok, just kidding."

She unties the knot on the back of the gown and it falls straight to the ground. I'm naked and I just want to curl into a ball and cover everything. "Y'know Max, I'm a girl, too. You don't need to be ashamed. By the way, I already saw you naked." I know that she's right, but I can't help it. She embraces my back; I twitch by her touch; and then she helps me into the shower. She holds me, getting wet, while the warm water flows over my body, washing away all the dirt. I take some soap and rub my whole body. As my hand rubs over my belly I can feel the wound. It feels awkward, strange, and unpleasant. And all of a sudden, as if the touch triggered a button, all these bad memories come back into my head. I start to cry and if Chloe hadn't caught me midair I would have hit the ground. She hugs me from behind, holding me tight. I grab her arms, holding them tight too, comforted by the thought that she's with me, that I can always count on her.

Chloe turns of the water and reaches me a towel. It's her old pirate towel; I smile as I breathe in her smell, which is still left in it. I hold myself on a rail on the wall and look at her. Chloe is totally soaked. "Sorry, I got you all wet."

"No problem, I needed a shower anyway." She smiles wryly; there is no anger or judgment in her eyes.

"Thanks for helping me…and for the hug." Sometimes I want to sound as cool as Chloe, but I think it always sounds wrong.

"Nah, it's ok. It was mushy time for me anyway." I feel that she's not used to hug that much and always tries to be badass, but I know she enjoyed it and eventually wants some more. Then out of a sudden she begins to strip all her clothes. I look at her with big eyes and she looks back, wondering why I stare at her. "What? I don't want to sit around here with wet clothes, getting a shitty cold. By the way, it is only fair that you see me naked too, after I saw you." Now I see her naked body, my heart starts to beat faster, it's getting harder to breath, and I can feel the heat rising into my face. All I could do is staring at her body; and it's just broken by Chloe's finger flick. "Yo! Earth to Max!" My eyes are focusing on her blur eyes. "If you stare too hard your eyes are gonna pop out. Aaaaand it's pretty embarrassing. Anyway, can I have my towel back to dry myself of?"

I look down, embarrassed myself. "Sorry."

"Don't be, I know that I have an amazing body, but yours is hella cute too, and after that wound becomes a scar, it'll make you look really badass." She smiles warmly at me, trying to comfort me again.

"I hate it. It'll always remind me of this fucking week."

Chloe steps towards me and puts her hands on my shoulders. "Max, this scar isn't only a reminder of the bad things that happened. It is a badge, a sort of medal. This scar's not only a burden; it's a symbol of our eternal friendship! If it wasn't for this scar I would be dead, lying in a casket, buried underground by now. I know that this scar will always be there, but I'll be too! I'll never leave you!"

I know that she's right, but it's hard for me to accept it. I get on my toes, hug my arms around her neck and kiss her. "Thank you!"

She smiles at me, nodding. "That's my Max!" She turns around to a pile of clothes and gives me a tee with a skull on it and Pajama-Shorts. "Here, these should fit you." I look down on them. These were the same clothes I wore as I slept at Chloe's house after the swimming; back in that other reality. "What's wrong? Or do you prefer this piece of hospital shit?"

"No, no. It's fine. I just…had a déjà-vu. Can you help me again?"

"Sure thing!" She helps me into the clothes, which are smelling like Chloe plus a little bit smoky, but I just ignore it. "Can you hold yourself while I change?" I nod and she starts to dress. Then she helps me getting back into bed. My whole body hurts by now, the showering did cost a lot of strength and I need to rest a bit.

Two hours later Chloe wakes me from my slumber. "Hey Max, waky, waky, eggs and baky!" She holds a plate with some food under my nose. "Your parents should be here any moment now; you should eat something to get some strength." She puts the plate on my lap and I start to eat.

I hear her stomach grumble. I instantly look at her with a questioning expression. "Aren't you hungry?"

She scratches her head and her face turns a little bit red. "Well, yeah. I think I pushed them too hard around here, so now they want to starve me out."

I reach her the plate. "Want some?"

"Nah, I deserve a little bit punishment. Aaaand you need the food more than I do."

"It's ok, Chloe. I insist and I'm already full."

She instantly takes the platter out of my hands and starts to eat. She stops herself, staring at me with some shame. "Sorry!" She gulps the food down. "I mean, Thanks!" I just laugh and shake my head. Typical Chloe.

After she finished the rest of the food the roomphone rings. Chloe stands up and takes the call. "Max Caulfield's residence, you're speaking with her private secretary Chloe Price." A little pause. "Aha…alright. I'll tell her. See ya in a bit!" She hangs up and turns to me. "Your parents called! They're here in a few minutes."

Suddenly my heart starts to race again, I'm getting nervous. But I need to be strong; face everything that comes. "Help me up. I want to sit at the table." She puts her arm around my back again and helps me on the chair. Thank dog it's still very warm outside and I don't freeze my ass off in these shorts. Chloe turns and wants to go to the door, welcoming my parents, but I grab her arm and stop her. She looks at me and I look at her with serious expression. "Chloe, I know, I said that you don't have to worry about this conversation, but I lied a little bit." Now her expression becomes serious, too. "When my parents, especially my mother, want to talk about important matters, it always turns out to be a big pile of problems and shit."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say, the last important talk was about moving to Seattle." My expression darkens even more and Chloe suddenly becomes pale and nervous; she just nods. "Chloe, whatever happens, we need to back us up; help each other. I probably can't do this alone."

She nods again, this time with a firm expression. "I'll always have your back!"

It knocks on the door and my parents enter the room. Both smile at me, glad that I'm all up. Chloe greets them and they walk over to me, hugging me like crazy. Finally, all three of them are sitting down, Chloe beside me and my parents on the other side of the table.

"Oh Maxine, we're so glad that you already feel better. You're even able to stand up; besides that the doctors said it wouldn't be the case for the next days." My mom never accepted the short form of my name. But I won't rant about it, since her words are dripping with relief and joy.

My heart beats faster. Nobody released me from bed; I did it myself and actually I feel shitty, but I don't wanna have a discussion like this while lying in bed. "I was surprised, too." I fake a smile. Chloe keeps quiet and suppresses a grin. "You wanted to talk about something important." I just can't wait anymore, in case my condition gets worse.

My mom straightens. "Yeah, right to business. That's my Maxine." She grabs the hand of my dad and on pure instinct I grab Chloe's under the desk. "Maxine, your dad and I thought about some things concerning your future. And we came to the conclusion that you should come back with us to Seattle, right after you're released from hospital."

My heart is pluming right to my feet; I feel Chloe tighten the grip on my hand and I hear her quietly whisper "No!" so that only I can hear it. I start to look down, almost loosing hope, giving in to my shitty fate. It definitely would be just for a short period, because I still go to school here. And as I thought it couldn't get worse my mom continues to speak. "And we don't want you to go to Blackwell Academy anymore."

That's enough! Like these words pulled a trigger inside of me, I start to feel anger rising, like I never felt it before. I look up, directly into her eyes. "What? Are you shitting me? Why?"

Dad puts on his serious expression. "Watch your mouth, Max!" I ignore it and focus completely on mom.

She continuous; her voice is still calm. "The reasons are very simple, Maxine. First, you still need some care after you're out of this hospital. The doctors told us that your blood pressure will still be very unstable for the next weeks, because the bullet injured some major artery and you lost a lot of blood. The second reason is, because you won't go back to Blackwell, you won't have a dorm room to stay anymore."

I hear the words, let them sink into my mind; try to understand them, but I can't; I don't want to! For Chloe's sake! I made a promise to her and I'm planning to keep it! "No, you can't do this! I want to stay here in Arcadia Bay and finish school at Blackwell Academy! I'm sorry to say this, but I don't believe you, that my medical condition is the only reason you want me to come back with you."

Mom sights, slightly annoyed. "Max, please don't make this anymore complicated than it is already."

I think I hit a nerve and now I want to know everything. That's my nosy nature, and mom should know it. "Yes, I'm making it more complicated, because you made it complicated from the start by not telling me the truth. Come on, hit me!"

Her expression darkens. "Maxine Caulfield, don't you dare challenging me!"

The game is on. I lean back and give her a mischievous smile. "But I do. I want to play hardball. Hit me." Thanks for improving my attitude, Chloe!

"Alright Miss Caulfield, you want it, you get it! We think that you are not safe at this school, where teachers are psychopaths and students running around with guns, shooting at each other. We can already see, that this school changed you, but not for the better. We want you to go to another school and we already made some arrangements."

The cat is out of the bag. I can't belief it! They made arrangements without asking me about my opinion. This is so mean and so wrong. I didn't expect this, not from my parents. It's hurting me and my anger starts to rise. I feel that I'm losing control. Before I even know what I'm doing, my fist hits the table. My mom jumps a little. All three stare at me with big eyes. "Are you fucking serious? You decide over my head, without even giving me the slightest hint? Are you two out of your fucking mind?"

"Max, please calm down." My dad still tries to keep everything calm. Thanks, but no thanks, dad.

"No, I won't calm down. How did you think, I would react? Be the calm, nice, little daughter, which obeys her parents; which quietly comes back to Seattle with you and leaves all of her friends and her current life behind?" I make a short break to let these questions sink in, but I don't wait for an answer. "No! I'm not thirteen anymore. I'm eighteen! I'm an adult by now and I can make my own fucking decisions; even the bad ones. Yes, Blackwell changed me, taught me some lessons, good ones and bad ones, but it was worth it. And just because some lunatics were on this school, doesn't mean that it won't be safe anymore. They're in jail by now and won't return. There'll be other psychos on other schools, but we'll never know. That's life, it isn't pretty, it isn't fair, but you can still try to make the best out of it and I will definitely try."

I thought that this would do it; that this speech would pull them off my back, but I underestimated my mom. She sights again, and I realize that everything I achieved was to piss her off even more. "Ok, Maxine. You think you could teach us something about life?" Oh, how I wish I could tell them about this ONE week. "Listen Missy, you're right. Life isn't fair and as long as we give you the money to live it, we expect you to play ball and accept our decisions. We just want the best for you!"

Just as I thought that this game couldn't get much dirtier, she plays the money-card. But I don't care about their money. "Ok, cut me off. I'll manage." I am so in rage that I didn't even realize that the grip of Chloe's hand got tighter, it nearly hurts.

"I can't believe it! Ryan, please talk to our daughter and get some reason into her."

Dad looks at me. Mom knows how to fight a battle. I never resisted my dad so far, even if he talked about difficult things. "Max, it would just be for one or two years. And after you finished school, you still could come back here. I'll even pay you the tickets if you want to visit Chloe in the meantime." He smiles at me. It's that kind of warm smile that would melt whole glaciers or brings Chloe to vomit.

Not today, dad. Sorry, it's just not good enough for me. "No!"

The smile fades from his face. "Max, we tried to reason with you, but you won't listen, so I'll make this simple. I just want one answer to my following question, because you haven't been honest with us, too. Now, why do you want to stay? If the answer is reasonable, you can stay. If this is just some teenage-parents-rage-thing, you'll come with us, period! Now, tell us!" He leans back, arms crossed.

Oh shit, that's bad, that's really bad. I didn't anticipate that one. My heart races, I wanna panic. It's a simple answer, but it's hard to say. I look at Chloe, she looks at me. I can see the fear in her eyes; the fear of losing me again; she seems as desperate as I am and before I could stop her she puts our hands on the table. She's got my back and I'm so glad that I could start to cry out of joy!

My dad raises one eyebrow and my mom stares in unbelief. "What's that supposed to mean, Maxine?"

I look at her, my face red of shame. "I'm in love with Chloe."

Dad's eyebrow rises on step higher and mom's jaw drops down. "Maxine, is this now some teenage-puberty-rage-against-your-parents-shit and you two just made this up, or what?"

That's it! They want some proof, I'm gonna give them some proof. I turn Chloe's head to me and kiss her right in front of my parents. Oh my dog, this is so surreal. After the kiss I turn to my parents again, face totally red. "There! Is this enough proof for you?" My mom still stares at us in unbelief, but dad keeps calm. A victorious smile rushes over my face; Game over!

My mom stands up and goes out of the room without saying another word. Now dad stands up, too. His expression is soft again. "Max, I'm sorry, we just didn't know that you and Chloe…you know…are so serious." He's kinda speechless. "I'll talk with your mom and calm her down. We are in town until tomorrow and will visit you before we hit the road again, okay."

Dad hugs me and it's hard not to cry. "Thanks dad! Thanks for giving me a chance to explain."

"It's alright. I'm sorry, we just…we didn't know."

"It's okay. I know you two mean well for me, but I think staying with Chloe is the best option for me. Just tell mom that I love her anyway."

"I will." He looks at Chloe and smiles. "Chloe, watch my Max!"

"I will, Ryan."

And then they are gone. I nearly collapse and Chloe needs to hold me. She drags me back to bed. I'm totally exhausted. I had so much adrenaline in my blood that I didn't even feel the pain in my stomach.

"This was awesomesauce. You were so badass, Maximus!" Chloe is happy that we stopped the inevitable. I'm also relieved that everything I manage is a nod before I fall asleep again.

I wake up to a knock on the door. And as I raise my head and open my eyes, I can see Joyce enter the room. She walks straight to my bed and smiles. "Hello Max, how are you doing?"

I smile back. "Hi, Joyce! Fine, I think." I shrug.

"Hi, mom!" says Chloe, keeping a little distance. Her mom doesn't answer. That's always a bad sign.

"Chloe, please wait outside. I wanna have a private talk with Max; alone."

Chloe makes a questioning expression. "What? Why?"

"Chloe Elizabeth Price, get out of this room immediately, and don't you dare backtalk to me! We'll have our private conversation later!" Chloe looks annoyed at her mom, sighs and rushes out of the room.

"You didn't have to do this, Joyce. It is fine with me, if Chloe hears our conversation."

"Maybe it is fine with you, but not for me. I want to talk with you, without any interruption or drama shit sponsored by Chloe, because she has an attitude about this topic." Oh no, please no more bad news! "Your mom called me about an hour ago and talked with me about this conversation you folks had." This is gonna be bad, really bad! I didn't know that my mom would pull all strings to get me to Seattle. My heart races again, I look down. Well played, mom! "Is it true that you and Chloe are in a relationship? And please, Max, tell me the truth!" She says it with a calm voice, no anger, and no sarcasm; just a question and still, I just manage to nod. Joyce touches me under my chin pulls my head up. I can see her warm smile and I'm surprised. "Then I'm glad that it wasn't just a scam, because I told Vanessa to back the hell off and leave the two of you alone!" I fall back into my pillow, filled with a lot of relief. "Is everything alright, Max?"

I get up again, pull her to me and give her a big hug. "Thanks, Joyce. You're the best!"

"It's ok, Max. I'm just happy for you two. You're the best thing that could have happened to Chloe and I hope that from now on, you can keep her out of trouble! I always had a feeling that you two belong to each other, maybe not in this way, but it's fine with me. And if you ever need a place to stay, you're always welcome at our house."

"Is David gonna see it the same way?"

"He has to; otherwise he could stay in a hotel." I giggle a little bit about that, because I made Joyce throw out David in this other reality. She looks at me with an asking expression. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just happy."

"Oh, then this will make you even happier." She puts a bag on my bed and opens it. Inside is a big Tupperware full of Joyce's homemade Donuts. My stomach starts to grumble. "Go ahead and taste one, while I have a little conversation with Miss Price outside."

I open the box and a tasty smell of fresh backed donuts crawls into my nose. "Joyce?" She turns to me. "Please go easy on Chloe. She's very sensitive and just wants to help."

Joyce puts on her warm smile again. "I will, Max. Now eat some, before they get stale."

I nod and put a donut in my mouth, while she leaves the room.

Three donuts later Chloe enters the room again with a sad face. "Sorry, Max. I have to bail."

I stare at her in shock. I don't want her to go! "Why?"

Chloe sighs; I can see the emotional pain in her face. "I don't know. Some nurse talked shit about me and the doctor called my mom. Ugh. Long story short, they don't want me here anymore, 'cause they say that I disturb the fucking peace."

"No, they can't do that; I need you!"

"I know, but sadly they can. I'm eventually lucky, they didn't call the cops so far." She smiles at me; it's a forced smile. "Hey, but I'll be back tomorrow. It seems like they can't throw me out during visitor's time. At least, as long as I keep quiet." She holds my hand. "Well, I better keep going; my mom's really pissed already, so I shouldn't let her wait." She wants to leave but I'm not releasing the grip on her hand. I pull her to me and give her a big kiss.

"See you tomorrow!" I smile and Chloe tumbles backwards. She hasn't expected that.

"Yeah, tomorrow!" is all she manages to say.

She leaves the room and I'm alone. I start to cry, missing her already.


	6. Chapter 6: Boredom

**Chapter 6: Boredom**

A stay in a hospital mainly consists of a daily routine and pure boredom. You can't do anything, except waiting for your illness to pass or your wounds to heal. The only bright spots are the visits of your loved ones. I woke up at 7 am. Bored myself to breakfast at 8 am and wondered that I found the daily checkup most entertaining. I hate hospitals and I have nothing here to keep my focus on something else. No books, no computer, no iPod. Not even a brochure.

Finally, it is 10 am. Visitor's time! And suddenly my joy fades again. Chloe's never been punctual. And just as I thought about to bore myself efficiently, the door opens and my cute, blue-haired Chloe enters the room, a big bag in her hand and a wide grin on her face. "Booyah, Chloe is in da house!"

I stare at her in unbelief.

She looks back, down on herself and then back to me. "What?"

I smile. "You're punctual."

"I am?" She looks at the clock. "Well, that's a hella new record for me!" She walks over to my bed and throws the bag on my legs, its quiet heavy. My face grimaces because of the pain. "Ups, sorry." I'm not mad at her, just glad that she's here. "I took the liberty to bring some of your stuff from your dorm room." She starts to unpack the bag. "Here we have some entertainment, but of cause only entertaining if I'm not around." Chloe puts my computer and my iPod on my lap. Yeah, boredom good bye, hello hipster music, sci-fi movies and computer games! She continues. "And here we've got some boring casual clothes." She puts a Jeans, a Hoodie and my black Shirt in the closet. Chloe really takes good care of me. "And last, but not least, we've got some pretty boring underwear." She looks at one of my panties and turns her head to me. "We definitely need to get you some hot stuff as soon as you're out of here!" I know she mocks me, but nevertheless I look away, blushing. She also puts the rest of my clothes into the closet and throws the bag in the next corner.

"Thanks, Chloe. You're the best!"

She smiles at me and shrugs. "I know! So, now tell me. What did you and my mom talk about, yesterday?"

I stare at her in awe. "She didn't tell you?"

Chloe shrugs again. "Nah, I think it was my punishment for being a bad Chloe." So I tell her. Chloe's face lightens up with every word, until I'm finished. Chloe starts to cheer. "Hell yeah, I've got the best fucking mom on this planet! This is so amazeballs! Max, this might be a shock for you, but I hella wanna kiss you." She leans forward and gives me a big kiss that endures for more than a minute and then comes something I didn't expect. "I hella love you, Max."

Now my heart beats even faster, but I can't suppress the need to mock her. "Are you getting cheesy, Chloe?"

"Yeah, maybe a bit. It's your good bad influence." Just now I realize that she has my old camera bag around her shoulder. She follows my look. "Oh, I almost forgot. I brought you this, too." She hands me the bag. Just to feel it gives me an inner peace. I missed shooting photos so much.

I open my bag and want to take out my camera, but instead of my yellow one I pull out a grey Polaroid. It's William's camera! I look at Chloe.

She looks down, a little bit ashamed. "I know it's not your camera. To be true, it got busted in the restroom as you fell to the ground. I tried to repair it, but I'm really bad with this sort of things, so I figured that you're gonna need a new camera and I always kept my dad's cam. I…uhm…give it to you, 'cause I know that you'll take it to good use." Is this a coincidence? The same happened in the other reality.

I lay my hand on hers and smile at her, a tear of joy running down my cheek. "Thanks, Chloe! It's the best present you could give me…besides your love."

I feel how Chloe gets uncomfortable, blushing. I release her hand. "Ok, now you get too cheesy, Max. Let's take some pictures instead!" She smiles.

Thinking about what to capture in a picture, only a selfie comes into my mind. I turn the camera to my face and before I'm able to push the button, Chloe shoves her head inside the focus. "Photobomb!" she shouts. The next coincidence?

"Photo-hog!" I answer out of instinct, moving my head closer to hers, cheek to cheek; pushing the button. A short flash and the picture emerges from the camera. I take it out of the slit and shake it two times. After a short time our two faces appear on the instant-photo. "That's a keeper!"

"Wow, this is a cool picture." She says in awe.

I hand it to her. "Here, you can keep it."

Chloe stares at the picture. "No, I can't take it."

"Yes, you can! You brought all my stuff here and even gave me your dad's cam. It's the least I can do."

She takes the picture. "Thanks, Max. I suddenly feel the need to hug you again; this is creepy." She shakes with her whole body.

I smile at her and my voice gets mischievous. "Come to the cheesy side, Chloe!"

"No way! I love you, Max; but that's not gonna happen! Now, let me stick this awesome picture into my wallet." She takes out her wallet and as she tries to place the picture in it, another one falls out of it. I look at it and I can see a blue butterfly on a bucket on it. I gasp out of fear. She follows my view. "Oh yeah, I found this on the floor of the restroom."

"Chloe…this picture…"

"I know. This is the picture you took to travel back in time and I was glad that I found it. For me, it is a symbol of my rescue. A reminder of you and what you did for me."

For me, this picture represents the start of a torment. The pain I went through. I never told Chloe that I didn't travel back in time to safe her, but to let her die. I don't want to see this picture anymore. Chloe sees that I'm uncomfortable and puts it away.

"Anyway, I'm glad I could make you happy!"

"Thanks for breaking and entering into my dorm room."

"No problem, if you need anything else, I'll be your personal burglar; your partner in crime!"

That's another phrase that occurred in the other reality. Is this all a coincidence or is something bad going to happen? Before I can finish my thought it knocks on the door. My parents enter the room. Both are smiling at me and I'm relieved that they aren't angry anymore, especially my mom.

"Mom! Dad!"

Both come to my bed and give me a hug. "Maxine, I want to apologize for my behavior, yesterday. I don't know why I acted so rude. Maybe it was just the reaction of the sudden knowledge that you are not a little girl anymore. You were right. You are an adult now, who makes his own decisions and I'm really happy for you two! So, you can stay here in Arcadia Bay and finish school at Blackwell."

I smile at her and have to suppress the need shed some tears. "Thanks, mom!"

"But, I have one condition." My heart skips a beat and I'm hoping that it is not a harsh one. "We wish that you, after you left the hospital, stay at Chloe's house for the first time!" I sight in relief and just nod with my head, focusing not to cheer so much. "Well, now that this is said, we need to get going. Your dad has a very important meeting to attend to. It's about some huge projects. Sorry, that we couldn't stay longer."

"It's okay. You two worked very hard on your dreams and I don't want to be in your way. I've got Chloe now to watch me."

Mom gives me a big hug. "Get well soon, Maxine. We'll visit you again as soon as possible." Then she walks over to Chloe and hugs her too. It's hard for me not to laugh as Chloe becomes stiff as a wooden plank and is speechless, again. "Chloe, please take good care of my Maxine. I'm glad that you make her so happy."

"Ok, Vanessa. No biggie!" That's all she manages to say.

She releases Chloe and then Dad is giving me a hug and thank dog that he only shakes Chloe's hand. Otherwise I couldn't have held back that laugh. "Be safe, you two and no more shootouts in toilets!"

I roll with my eyes. "Daaad!" He winks at me and both are leaving the room.

Just as the door closes I laugh out loud. "You looked so hilarious, Chloe!"

She looks at me with a sour expression. "What? I don't like to be hugged all of a sudden. And it was awkward and…ah, just shut up!" She turns away, arms crossed.

I stop laughing and try to lighten her mood again. "Did you hear that? My parents are forcing me to stay at your home!"

She turns to me again, with a grin on her face. "That gives me a chance for some revenge!" And now my smile fades, 'cause I know what that means.

I look down on my bag again and I could see the cover of my diary. I take it out and a thought comes to my mind. "Have you read it?"

Chloe blushes and steps uneasy from one food to the other. Busted! "Maybe?"

I laugh again. "I'm not mad at you. It's okay. Did you like it?"

She looks at me, not so uneasy anymore. "Yeah, it's pretty cool! Will you continue it?"

"I don't know." She starts to look disappointed. "But I'm thinking about it." And then smiles again. "And just for you I will start right now." Her smile grows wider. I just can't see her sad.

The next hours I'm busy writing down everything that happened the last week, including the alternate reality where Chloe was paralyzed; paint some pictures and sort my thoughts. It unburdens me, frees me from all this bad thoughts. Chloe sits at the table, reading some magazines, comforting me whenever I start to cry.

As I finished writing it is already 15 pm. Only one hour left with Chloe. It knocks on the door and just as I ask myself who could it be, Kate Marsh enters the room. "Kate!"

"Max!" She rushes to me and we hug.

Chloe just stares at us. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"Chloe, don't be rude! Kate, meet Chloe. Chloe, this is Kate."

Kate walks over to Chloe with a big smile and reaches her hand to her. Chloe looks at Kate's hand and back at her face and after some time she shakes it. "Hi Chloe, nice to meet you!"

"Heya, Kate. I've heard some things about you. You're that Christian girl, right?" Chloe acts really weird; I've never seen her like this. Is there something wrong with Kate? Is she jealous of her?

Kate stays as friendly as ever. "Yes, I am. I hope this fact doesn't bother you. I'm not that hardcore than everyone likes to believe I am. To tell the truth, I'm very tolerant." Kate is such an angel; always so kind, so full of love and passion.

Chloe just shrugs. "Well, okay. I'll leave you two alone now. I think you have some things to catch up and I need to get some food. See ya!" Without another word or anything else, she leaves the room.

Kate just looks at me with a puzzled expression. I shrug. "I'm sorry for her behavior. I don't know what's wrong with her, but I'm sure it's not your fault."

"I hope so, Max. You sure I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Of cause not; Chloe just feels uncomfortable around unfamiliar persons." I just hope, she's satisfied with this answer and doesn't feel responsible for Chloe's bad behavior. I try to change the topic. "So tell me, Katie, what's new at Blackwell?"

"Well, first of all, all classes have been suspended for two weeks. Principal Wells said, our school needs some time to recover after such tragic events, but I think he just wanted all students off his back to work on this crisis." She makes a short pause and then continues. "Did you know, Mr. Jefferson has been arrested?"

I nod. "Yes, Chloe told me everything."

"Well, in the end there'll finally be justice!" She says it with some joy and I know exactly what she means.

I lay my hand on her shoulder. "Katie, I know what happened to you. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here for you!"

She smiles at me again. "Thanks Max! I know that I can count on you, but you got it even worse than me. Because after you got injured and all the truth came out about Nathan Prescott, Mr. Jefferson and the Vortex Club, the bullying stopped; the Video was instantly erased and everyone believed me; they even backed me up. I felt strong as I knew that these sons of …" She blushes. "Sorry, I shouldn't swear."

I smile at her. "It's ok. You can swear here as much as you want and these fuckers deserve being called that way."

"Thanks Max, but I'm leaving the cursing to you; you're better in doing it." Oh boy, luckily she's never been talking with Chloe, yet.

"What's about the Everyday Heroes Contest? Did Victoria win?"

"Actually, she didn't."

"What? Then who did?" I'm very surprised. What did I change in this reality that she didn't win the contest?

"Nobody did." I just stare at her with unbelief and before I can even ask why, she continues. "Actually, the whole class didn't participate on the contest, because of your condition"

I can't believe it. The whole class turned down the chance to travel to San Francisco and get their pictures exposed in the Zeitgeist Gallery. "Wowser! I never thought that they would do that. Victoria must hate my guts for that."

"To tell the truth, it was her idea. Right after Principal Wells suspended all classes, he called in a meeting with the whole photography class to talk about the contest. He still wanted Blackwell to participate to hold up some reputation. At first everyone agreed with him, but after a while Victoria stood up and said that we shouldn't participate on that contest while our true Everyday Hero lies in hospital in critical condition." I don't know what to say. I really underestimated Victoria and I'm feeling really bad about thinking that she would hate me for fucking up the contest. "The whole class was on Victoria's side and Mr. Wells couldn't do anything about it."

I have to hold back some tears, because it is so touching that the whole class cares about me.

"By the way, they want to visit you tomorrow morning. I just thought I'd give you some head start by visiting you earlier." She smiles again at me.

Her smile warms my heart and I hug her again. "Thanks Katie, you're the best!"

"No, I'm not, but I have my moments." She blushes in modesty.

"How did you even know that I'm up and running again?"

She looks at me surprised and puzzled. "Well, you texted me and the whole class, yesterday."

Now I'm the one that looks absolutely surprised. I haven't seen my phone since I was in the other reality or better said, in class last Monday. And then it comes to me. Chloe! She texted everyone, so that some other people would visit me. I smile. Chloe just rocks!

"Is everything all right, Max?" Kate asks worried.

I look at her with the smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sometimes I just zone out, but that's totally normal for me."

She laughs, all worries forgotten. "You're right. If Max isn't zoned out, something has to be wrong." She looks at her watch. "Well, I need to go. Visitor's time is nearly over and I need to visit some other patients." Right as she stands up and wants to say goodbye, Chloe enters the room again, apparently still in bad mood. "Well, goodbye Max! I'll come by tomorrow again."

"Goodbye, Katie!" We hug again.

"Goodbye, Chloe" This time Chloe doesn't even try to shake her hand, holding her arms crossed.

"See ya!" Is all she says.

Kate leaves the room and right after the door is closed I look angry at Chloe. "Chloe, you tell me right now why you are so rude to Kate or what she's done to piss you off!" She doesn't say one word, just averting my eyes. And before I give it one more thought I just go the whole nine yards. "Chloe Price, are you jealous of Kate?"

That hit a nerve. Chloe looks at me, blushing, searching for the right words. "What? I'm not jealous. Not of her."

Now I've gotcha, Chloe. You're gonna regret being rude to poor Kate Marsh. She's a very nice person and my friend; she definitely doesn't deserve that. So, now I'm making sure that something like this never happens again. "No? Then why are you acting like a complete ass in front of her? And why don't you need to be jealous of her? Tell me!"

She blushes some more. Now she's stuck in the corner. "Well…I'm not jealous, because I don't need to be. I've cool blue hair, a Tat…and…cool clothes…and…and…" Busted! "Ah fuck! Ok, I'm fucking jealous of her! She's so sweet and cute and pretty and nice. And now look at me, I'm a fucking mess! I'm not like Kate by a long shot!" I see tears rolling down Chloe's cheeks. "I don't even fucking know why you love me. I'm just a pile of shit." Now she starts to sob and I feel guilty about pushing her in this position.

"Chloe, come here." At first I'm afraid that she may just run out of the room again, but then she starts moving and sits down besides my bed. "Chloe, you're not a mess and definitely not a pile of shit. For me, you're also sweet, cute, pretty and nice. But this is not everything I like about you. Of cause, I also love your blue hair, your Tat, your style and your character. I love you for who you are. My Chloe and my Chloe alone! Granted, Kate is also cool, but you don't have to be jealous of anybody, 'cause nobody is as cool as you are! I hella love ya, Chloe!"

She wipes some tears of and smiles at me. "You said hella, Max." I smile back at her and our heads move together; we kiss.

"It's your good bad influence."

Just after we finished kissing a nurse comes into the room and tells Chloe that visiting times are over. Whew, that was a close one. Not anybody needs to know that we are in a relationship. Chloe sights and moves to leave. I stop her by holding her arm and hand her over my Diary. "Here, some more reading stuff for you." She looks at the diary in her hands and then to me. "Don't look so surprised, I know you're gonna read it anyway and I want you to know what's going on in my messed-up head."

She leans over and hugs me again. "Thanks Max, for trusting and comforting me." She turns around and walks to the door, opening it for leaving.

"By the way, thanks for calling everybody that I'm ready for visitors. They're all gonna visit me tomorrow morning."

Chloe turns around and smiles at me again. "No problem, so now I have a reason to sleep a little longer!"

"Jerk!" She leaves and I'm alone again, waiting for tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7: Routine

**Chapter 7: Routine**

In a hospital the day starts with the same, boring routine like every day. 7 am, wake up; 8 am, breakfast; 9 am, checkup; and if you don't have any visitors or entertainment, you bore yourself until 12 pm, lunch and after that until 6 pm, supper; and after that just a little bit more boredom until 20 pm, lights out.

But not today. Today is everything out of routine, 'cause today I have a big checkup. Today the doctors are gonna evaluate, when I'm gonna be out of here. And after the checkup, my whole class is going to come here to visit me.

I'm so excited that I already wake up at 5 am. I get out of bed and try to take some photos of my room. It is fun to shoot some pictures again, but I've the feeling that I'm a little out of my focus.

The time runs as slow as honey. I try to distract myself with some music, but it couldn't be helped. After what felt like 24 hours and a very unsatisfying breakfast, the doctors finally come into my room. They examine me in every detail and in the end they come to the conclusion that I could leave the hospital on Friday.

I'm so happy and can't wait to tell Chloe. But before I can even enjoy my happiness it is 10 am. The door opens and my whole class storms into my room. Everyone is there. Kate, Dana, Brooke, Juliet, Stella, Daniel, Luke, Evan; and even Victoria, Taylor and Courtney. They brought flowers and a big Get-Well-Card, which everyone has signed. After one hour of chatting and laughing they're saying their goodbyes and leaving the room one by one again. Victoria is the last one and before she leaves I feel the urge to talk to her. "Victoria, can I have a minute?"

She turns around, surprised that I even talk to her. "Sure, why not." She shrugs and walks closer to my bed. "What is it, Max?"

I get into myself and try to choose every word wisely to not piss her off in any way. "I wanted to thank you, Victoria."

She raises an eyebrow. "For what?"

"That you didn't participate at the Everyday Heroes Contest. I mean, it needs a lot of courage to let such an opportunity slip away."

She shrugs again. "Don't mention it! I thought it was the right thing to do. And to tell the truth, it wouldn't have been a contest for me without a worthy competitor." A smile rushes over her face and I smile back. "But, this doesn't mean we are friends, I just respect your work, Caulfield."

There is the old Victoria again. "Fair enough."

"Well, I've to get going. Get well soon, Max, I need some challenge!" With a tiny wave of her hand she walks to the door and opens it. Before she gets out, she nearly collides with Chloe. Oh boy. Both of them stare at each other with disgust, passing by. Victoria is still on the threshold as Chloe slams the door shut.

"Who's that arrogant bitch with a stick up her fucking ass?" And there is my good, old Chloe.

I just shrug. "That was Victoria. She's in my class and just an arrogant bitch with a stick up her ass." We both laugh.

"So, Max, what's the news?"

Just as I want to tell her, it knocks on the door again and Warren enters. "Hey, Max!" He rushes past Chloe over to me and hugs the hell out of me.

I knock on his shoulders. "Warren, pain, pain…"

He frees me instantly, holding up his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm just so glad that you are ok."

Chloe stands there, arms crossed, face angry. "And who are you?" Warren must have been in such a hurry that he totally failed to see Chloe. He makes a jump and is petrified by her presence. "Hellooo! I asked you a question."

Before she really snaps and starts to hit him, I tell her. "Chloe, this is Warren Graham. Warren, this is Chloe Price."

Warren shakes off the first shock, smiles again and holds his hand out to Chloe. "Hi, nice to meet ya!"

Chloe just stares at his hand and doesn't even make a move to shake it. Oh no, not again. I look at her with a firm view, hoping that she understands it. She rolls with her eyes. "Hi, Warren." No handshaking, but better than nothing.

I break the unpleasant silence. "How are you, Warren?" He turns back to me.

"Well, fine…I guess. Better than you, I think." He scratches himself behind the neck. "Anyway, originally I came here to invite you to a little Star-Wars-Marathon-date-thingy. I already got the cards, but then I saw that your online-status changed; that you are in a relationship now. So, I'm just giving them to you as a get-well-present."

I can't describe how I'm feeling now. Who would change my online-status? And then it comes into my mind. Chloe! She has my phone and therefore the full access to my accounts. I look past Warren, directly into her eyes, very angry. She looks away, face red with shame.

"Max, are you alright?" I focus on Warren again. "Here, take them, it's no biggie!" He forces a smile on his face.

"I can't, Warren. It's really nice of you, but I need some more time to rest and a Movie-Marathon is not really relaxing." I shove the cards back to him. "Why don't you ask Brooke? It seems like she's into Star Wars."

With a sad expression mixed into forced smile he takes back the cards. "Yeah, maybe I'll do that." His forced smile fades. "Anyway, you just could've told me that you were seeing someone else." Shit, I wished he just would've dropped this topic. He's a nice guy and the last thing I wanted to do is breaking his heart.

"Warren…"

"No, no. It's cool. But I'm just kinda curious, do I know him?"

"That HIM would be a HER." Oh no, she did it! Warren turns to Chloe, totally surprised. I'm just shocked that she really outed me without any warning.

He turns back to me. He tries to find the right words "Oh! I didn't know…y'know…well…"

"She's into girls, ok. Get this in your fucking head!" Chloe yells at him.

Now I yell back at her. "Chloe, shut the fuck up! You messed up enough!" Now I'm really pissed at her. I turn to Warren. "Warren, please don't tell anyone. At least, not for now! It's my decision whom I gonna tell and whom NOT." During this last sentence I give Chloe an angry look. She looks away, guilt in her face.

"Yeah, no problem, Max. I'm gonna keep it a secret."

I give him a warm smile and hug him again. "Thanks Warren, you're a good friend."

He shrugs and I can see disappointment in his face. "I know." He feels the tension between me and Chloe. "Well, I better keep going. See ya soon." He turns around and leaves the room as fast as possible.

After he left, I cross my arms and look at Chloe, my expression radiating the anger inside of me. "So, tell me Chloe, what else did you change without my knowledge?" Silence. She still looks at her feet. "Is it possible that, when I leave this hospital, my name isn't Max Caulfield anymore, but Max Price?"

She raises her head and now she looks as pissed as me. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, what I just said." I withstand her look. "You just did and changed things without even asking me. This is not ok, Chloe!"

She just sights and rolls with her eyes again; and this makes me even more furious. "It's no biggie, Max. It's just your online-status; I don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks about us. So don't freak out about…"

I don't even let her finish, I just yell at her and hope that it can't be heard outside this room. "But it IS a big fucking problem for me, because I care! I've never been in a relationship before. Everything is new to me and this is beautiful! I like the new experiences; I like to be in love, but I also know that other people could easily fuck it up. Chloe, you know that I'm shy as fuck and that I have a problem to be in the middle of everything; and our relationship is gonna draw a lot of attention. In the end, I want to decide for myself, if I'm ready for this or not. But you just went all over my head and took this decision away from me."

"What? Are you suddenly ashamed of me or what's your fucking problem? Let these fuckers talk about us, I don't give a shit."

"Yes, Chloe; YOU don't give a shit; but are you even thinking about me? I give a lot of shit about this relationship and it's not because I'm ashamed of you, it has never been because of you. Just stop being so fucking selfish and don't you dare putting the blame on me! This is all your doing, your fault. YOU. FUCKED. UP!"

I can see how Chloe's eyes are getting wetter. "But you told your parents…"

I interrupt her again. "No, WE told my parents. WE did it. Together. For the same reason. I wanted them off our backs; wanted to tell them that from now on, I live my own life; with you. But now you fall into my back and act the same way as my parents, making decisions without even asking me and this royally pisses me off, 'cause I didn't expect this from you! You hurt me, Chloe! You just hurt my feelings!" Now tears are running down her cheeks.

"Max, I didn't…I just…" She sobs. It hurts me even more to see her that way, but it needs to be; she needs to know her boundaries.

I sigh, trying to keep myself from crying out loud. "Chloe, just go. I need some time to think, alone." I turn my head away to tell her that this conversation is over. I hear her leaving the room.

Laying there, feeling like shit and starting to cry hard I tell myself that this argument needed to happen; that she needs to learn that I'm not a thing she could posses; a thing she can put her stamp on and show off with. These thoughts don't make me feel any better; I know that I hurt her, too. And I hope, she'll forgive me, eventually.

After crying two hours straight, I just stare out of the window. I feel empty and I can't stop thinking about Chloe. I already miss her so much! I'm just hoping she's ok and that she'll come back eventually.

As I let my view wander around the room I see a small bag on the table that I didn't notice before. I stand up, sit down on the chair and open it. I pull out my diary and my phone. Chloe!

I activate my phone and the first thing I see is a picture of Chloe, smiling, sticking her tongue out, winking at me. I could be mad at her for changing my background picture, but I'm not. I smile, finding it very cute. Such surprises are ok, like calling my friends and my whole class so that I may have some more visitors or even changing my background picture. As I look closer I can see, that I have 35 massages. Most of them are from my classmates and my parents, but none is from Chloe. I need to give her a massage that I'm not mad at her anymore.

 _Max: Hi Chloe! I am not mad anymore. Hope you are okay. Sry for being such a bitch. Please come back to me as soon as you can. Miss you. XOXO Max_

Minutes are feeling like hours as I wait for an answer and just as I thought of a thousand horrible things that could have happened to her, my phone chimes.

 _Chloe:_ _ON MY WAY. Chloe_

Well, short, but better than nothing. Now I just need to wait, so I decide to write into my diary. Just as I open the last written page, I recognize something new. An entry; written in a different script; Chloe's script.

 _Heya, Max! It's me, Chloe! Who else… ;-)_

 _I know I'm not supposed to write into your private diary, but to be true, I shouldn't read it either, but I did and even with your approval, it feels kinda weird though. Anyway, I like your style and I hope you'll write more of it, because it's so freaking awsomsauce!_

 _Uh, fuck…I forgot what I wanted to write originally, let me think…ah, yeah, here it is: I love you, Max and I hope, you're not mad at me for changing your online status, because I'm in such a good mood that I want to do some stage diving and scream it out loud at everyone, that we are together! :-P_

 _Well, that's it…for now. My hand hurts from writing that much. Your Chloe!_

 _P.S.: I also changed the background picture on your phone. Hope ya like it. :-)_

 _P.P.S.: I need some mushy time after you're out of this fucking hospital, big time!_

Just as I finished reading the door opens and Chloe enters the room, her head down, making small steps towards me. I jump to my feet and run towards her, it hurts like hell, but I try to ignore it. As I collide with her, I wrap my arms around her neck, pressing me as close as possible onto her and start to cry like a baby.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe! I know, you didn't want to hurt me, I know you meant it well, but…but…"

"It's ok, Max. I'm the one who's to apologize. You were totally right, I'm not supposed to take away your decisions and I have to stop being so selfish. Max, I'm sorry! It's just…I'm so afraid of losing you again."

I look sincere into her eyes. "That will never happen again, ever! I gave you a promise and I'm gonna keep it! Period!"

"I know you will, Max. But I have to give you one, too. I promise you that, from now on, we will decide everything together, as a team; as a couple."

We smile at each other. "Are you cereal, as a couple? That was very cheesy."

She shrugs. "As I said before, it's your good bad influence." Suddenly I feel very dizzy; my stomach starts to hurt like its burning. Chloe holds me tight. "Whoa! I think we should bring you back to bed."

As soon as I lie down the pain fades. "Thanks! I think that was way too much emotion and maybe a little too strong hugging. Please, lie down beside me, I need some big cuddling!"

She lies down and I cuddle myself as close to her as possible. I breathe in her smell, enjoying it. The only strange thing I notice is that the strong smell of smoke and weed has faded. But I shove this thought aside, just enjoying her closeness and her body warmth. "So tell me, Max, when are you supposed to leave this shithole?"

I could facepalm myself; I totally forgot to tell her. "On Friday afternoon, if everything goes according to plan."

She lifts herself up. "You mean on Friday you'll be out of here?"

I give her a big smile. "Yes, I'm gonna move into your mosh pit on Friday and then you'll get your big mushy time."

She smiles back at me. "I take it that you read my entry?" I just nod. "How was it?"

"It made me feel like shit after yelling at you and throwing you out. By the way, I like my new background picture."

"I assumed you would."

Chloe stayed until 5 pm because we slept in. After she left, I had some supper and wrote into my diary. Now that I have my phone back, I can stay in touch with her. I just have to be cautious not to be caught by the nurses using my phone past 8 pm. But I wouldn't be Max, the Blackwell-Ninja, if I couldn't avert it.

The last days were the typical routine of the hospital life, again. Wake up, breakfast, check up, Chloe, lunch, more Chloe, sad goodbyes, supper, Chloe via phone until 11 pm, sleeping; repeat. Kate, Dana and Warren visited me one more time on Wednesday. Chloe was friendlier than I expected and she even hugged Kate! Way to go, Chloe!

On Thursday was the funeral of Rachel Amber, which Chloe attended, she came to the hospital right after. I never saw her in a suit before, it was a very uncommon sight and I doubt that she liked it, but in my opinion it fitted her very well and she looked kinda hot.

This day we didn't talk much. She just lied down into my bed and cried at my shoulder for one hour straight. It was a very sad day for the both of us. I didn't see Chloe that messed up since the day we found Rachel on the Junkyard. A few days ago, she mentioned that she had mourned enough, but I think, Rachel's death hit her deep inside and she's going to need a lot more time to process it than she wants to admit. She knows that I'll be at her side to comfort her all the time.

And here it is, Friday. Or better; Freeday! Chloe sent me a massage in the middle of the night, saying that she won't be here today and now I'm wondering why. She never even missed visiting me for one single day. I ask myself, if there's something wrong; if it got something to do with Rachel's funeral. Maybe she had a meltdown or too much memories of Rachel and therefore doubts of our relationship. Thousands of these thoughts enter my mind and though it should be a happy day for me, I'm rather depressed.

I try to focus my thoughts on something else by listening to some music and watching a movie on my laptop. It doesn't help that much, but its better than just sitting here, dwelling in my sad world. Suddenly my phone chimes; it's a massage from Chloe.

 _Chloe:_ _Heya Max! Gonna get u outta there at 3 pm. Be ready! XOXO Chloe_

 _Max: Thank dog! I was worried. Is everything alright?_

 _Chloe: It's a surprise! :-P_

 _Max: Surprise? Now I'm nosy._

 _Chloe: And what's the news? ;-)_

 _Max: :-P_

 _Chloe: No emojis!_

I grin all over my face. If I could, I'd facepalm myself a thousand times for mindfucking myself with these idiotic thoughts. Chloe's still there for me; she'd never bail on me. I turn up my music, get out of bed and start packing my stuff. I even dance a little bit out of joy, ignoring the light pain in my stomach.

At 2 pm the doctor comes in for the final check-up on me. He mumbles some medical terms and finally gives me the documents for my release, adding some prescriptions for painkillers. Now I'm almost free.

Point 3 pm Chloe enters the room. We both smile all over our faces, hugging and kissing each other. "Finally! Let's leave this shithole!" She grabs my stuff and we leave the hospital. I look back one last time, thinking about these crazy events; thinking about that nobody, besides Chloe, will ever know about the sacrifices I made; the pain I went through. I let this thought fly behind me, just looking forward at the time I'm gonna spend with Chloe from now on. Without an evil shadow hanging above us; without the thought of the consequences my time travel skills would cause. I rescued her without them and swear to myself, in case I still got them, I'll never use them ever again.


	8. Chapter 8: Home

**Chapter 8: Home**

There is a saying: Home is where your heart is. If this saying is true, my home would be 5'9" high with blue hair and definitely never for sale. With this thought in my head I look at Chloe, driving her truck and feel warmth in my heart.

She looks back at me and smiles. "So Maximus, how was your day without me?"

"Boring."

"Yeah, I'm a walking entertainment system."

While I avert looking at her, I ask myself, if I should tell her about my depressing thoughts of her leaving me. It's not an easy decision to make, but I trust in her that she'll understand, so I tell her. "At first I thought you left me."

Chloe looks at me in pure unbelief. "And why would I do that?"

I shrug with my shoulders. "I don't know this thought just popped into my head. I thought, because of the funeral, maybe you had too much memories of Rachel and that I'd never be as cool as her…"

"Stop it right there, Max!" Now her look is angry. Was it a mistake to tell her? "No, you're not Rachel, but this doesn't mean that you're not cool. You're Max fucking Caulfield, my Max and I love you for who you are; the same thing why you love me. Do you get it? Rachel was Rachel and now she's gone. Yes, I hella miss her and yes, I loved her, too, but I'm not using you as some compensation! Do you understand?"

I nod, feeling instantly guilty.

Chloe brushes her hand through my hair. "And now get those fucking thoughts out of your cute head! This should be a happy day after all, 'cause you're hella moving in with me!" Now she has a big grin on her face and I'm just relieved and let me fall back into the seat.

Some minutes later we arrive at Chloe's house. She helps me getting out of her truck, into the house and up the stairs. Then we stand in front of her door.

"Are you ready?" She asks it with a big, childish smile.

"I've already seen your room and I have to say, you can't shock me anymore."

"We'll see." I don't know, what to think about this comment, but I figure that I'd better let me surprise than saying stupid things that could hurt her.

Chloe opens the door, we enter her room and she was right, I'm instantly shocked, nearly unable to speak. "W-What happened to your room?"

I look around. Her room has been cleaned, it is tidy. No beer bottles, no trash, no cigarette butts and no dirt. Besides her furniture and some exceptions, the ground is empty. The carpet may be worn out, but it's as clean as possible. Her bed has new bed linen and this bad smell of smoke and weed is nearly gone. It seems brighter than before. Only her desk is still a vortex of pure chaos with piles of paper; but no overflowing ashtray?

"Surprised, huh?" She smirks with arms crossed in front of her chest.

I don't know what to say. "What…Why…I…"

"To answer your first questions: I cleaned my room." Well, duh! "And for the _why_ ; I did it for you." She still sees my puzzled face and continues. "Well, the cause of this unholy behavior on my side is your diary. I read the part in which you described my room and I looked around, asking myself, if I'm really living in such a pigsty. I could only answer this question with a big, fucking yes. But the real cause to start cleaning was Rachel's funeral. After I returned home from the hospital, I had a lot of time to think. The funeral taught me that I just lost another very important person in my life and that thought opened my eyes. You've to cherish each moment with such a person; don't take it for granted; help them; make them feel comfortable. And I had the idea to make your stay here special and as comfortable as possible. I know that you're a very tidy person; you always were, even 5 years ago. So, I started making some space in my closet for your stuff and after clearing away this stuff I started to clean up more and more. At first, Mom and David thought I was high again, vandalizing in my room. They came in, staring at me, jaws at their feet and after a ' _what?'_ from my side they just backed out and I've never seen them since again. Well, that's the story. How do ya like it?"

I instantly hug her. She's so amazing. She did the unthinkable, just for me. That's the best surprise someone ever made me in my whole life. I'm so happy that tears of joy start running down my cheeks. "I love it, Chloe! Best surprise ever!"

"I knew it. A tidy room turns you on!" Good, old Chloe; always mucking me, when we get mushy. "You think this is worth a kiss for me?"

"Definitely!" I kiss her.

"Maybe a second one?"

"Of cause!" I kiss her again. She presses my body closer to hers.

"A third one?" She whispers.

This time I don't say anything. I just press my lips onto hers and she presses me as close to her body as possible. I feel her warmth. My heart is pounding in my chest; I breathe faster. Her hand strokes my back. Suddenly I feel Chloe's tongue on my lips, trying to force itself into my mouth. I back away.

"Is everything alright, Max? Did I hurt you?" She asks with concern.

I look at her, ashamed. "No, you didn't. It's ok. I just…"

She smirks. "Gotcha!"

"What?" Now I'm even more surprised and stare at her with eyes wide open. What is that suppose to mean?

"Remember, you wanted some tongue action? That day you had me and now I got ya!"

Congratulation, Max! You walked right into her trap. Now I wish that I could just facepalm myself; or rewind time, to get a payback.

"But now seriously, you wanna do some more?"

"More of what?"

She shrugs "Y'know, make out some more; french kissing; groping." I look away, embarrassed; now blushing even more. "But you know that couples are supposed to do that?"

I just nod. I'm not that uneducated.

"But…?"

What does she want me to say? That I've never been in a relationship before; never French kissed? Let alone, never had sex before? Chloe, you're forcing me to much! My embarrassment turns into anger. "I just don't feel ready, ok? I'm just out of the damn hospital and the first thing you want to do, is having sex with me? Are you cereal?"

She backs away one step, her arms held high to calm me down. "Whoa, Max! Calm down! Nobody said anything about sex…yet."

"Chloe, I'm very grateful that you did this all for me and I want to live with you, but you are forcing me too much. Yes, I know that couples are supposed to do such things and we will some time, but not now, ok?" My stomach hurts again and I start to feel dizzy.

At first she just stands there, mustering me. Then surprisingly she just shrugs. "All right, so be it!" Now I'm surprised again. Chloe doesn't get furious after not getting it her way? That's a new one!

She still looks at me. "What? You're right. You can't force someone to do such things and I have all the time in the world with you now. So, I'll just wait for you to make the first step and take some cold showers from time to time."

The dizziness gets stronger, my vision blurs. "Chloe, I think I need to lie down."

She catches me before I could collapse and drags me to the bed; helping me to lie down. She lies down beside me. I breathe deeply in an out, my vision clears again. Chloe takes my hand and holds it. "Are you getting better?"

I nod. "A bit."

"Too much action, huh?"

I nod again and smile. "Too much surprises."

We just lie there, looking at the ceiling. "So, tell me Max, you never had a relationship before?"

I look at her. Is she mocking me again?

"I don't want to mock you!"

"Are you reading my mind?"

"No, I just know you and your facial expressions. So, tell me!"

I shake my head.

"Why?"

This question is pushing it again, but I'm not in the mood to fight and actually, it is a reasonable question I already asked myself more than one time. I shrug. "I don't know. I think the reason is that I never was interested in anyone else before. I couldn't even realize, if someone was interested in me. Maybe because I lived in my own, geeky world too much; blocking out all other influences."

"Sounds depressing. What changed?"

"I think, this one crazy week opened my eyes; showed me that there is another world outside there. I saw you and something snapped inside of me. I travelled through many realities, but one thing always stayed constant, my feelings for you; aaaand that you always hit on me too much." I grin at her.

"I did?" She grins mischievously. "I'm a baaaad girl."

It is comforting talking about such things with Chloe, but there is one thing that still bothers me. "So, now you tell me something."

"Everything."

"Did you stop smoking?"

Chloe stays silent for a while. "Wow, that's a change of topic. If I did, how would you know?"

"Come on, Chloe. I played CSI Arcadia Bay with you for one week, now I know how to watch the details."

"And these would be?"

"Firstly, the smell. Since the first time we hugged I've noticed, that the smell of cigs and weed on you was fading more and more every day; and even your room smells better, too. Secondly, I didn't see any ashtray around. My conclusion: you stopped smoking!"

Chloe watches me with big eyes, and then turns her head back to the ceiling. "Smartass!"

I smile victoriously. "I rest my case! The only question that remains again, is: why?"

Now she smirks at me. "What? Sherlock Max doesn't have an answer on the big WHY?" She breathes in deeply and waves her hand. "Just guess."

"Because of me?"

"This was a question, not an answer."

"Oh, look who is talking. Professor Smartypants Price." I slam my elbow into her side.

"Ouch! All right, all right. Fuck, that hurts!"

"Crybaby! Now, tell me!"

"Well, duh! Of cause for you, who else?" She rolls to her side, resting her head on her arm, watching directly at me. "Max, you changed everything! You took a bullet that was supposed to hit me, saving my life. You made me fall in love with you in less than a week…twice. And you showed me a side of myself that I haven't seen in over 5 years. Alternative realities yay or nay, you always were at my side and backed me up. Max, you made me belief in more than just this pile of shit I called my life, before. I had a lot of time to think while you were knocked out or not by my side and suddenly I knew, I have to change my life in order to live with you."

"But Chloe, you don't need to do this for me! I mean, I fell in love with your old self; with you as a person."

"I know, you did, but you're missing my point. I don't do this just for you; I do this because of you." I just look at her, puzzled. "Max, I know you since we were kids and you're not the kind of person that likes to party or do drugs and shit. You want a normal life; a steady life and I know I can't give you that. Not if I don't change something."

She sounds so firm, so mature; she really means business. Last time I heard her talk like this, she was in a wheelchair, paralyzed. A Punk in heart, but a mature straight-A-student on the outside. Deep inside of me I don't want her to change, because I kinda like her wild side. "Chloe, I don't want a steady life. I want some adventure, some action and not that boring thing I called my life, before. I want to be a pirate and take over Arcadia Bay!"

"Max, for the last five years my life was everything but an adventure, it was a fucked up living hell. I was a completely, arrogant asshole who took hella lot of drugs and raged against anybody. And I want to spare you from this experience. At first, I thought I could never change, but then you told me about this one week and how I did change; told me how you awakened my good side; that I could be more than just…well, me. But be rest assured, I won't become a boring nerd; I'll stay a badass pirate and do some stage diving, but this time without any drugs; only with you, 'cause you're the only drug I need now!"

"So we will have some adventures?"

"We gonna have hella lot of adventures and fun!" She gets up and walks to her stereo. "So, now that we have this mushy shit behind us, let's party!"

I just smile at her. "Sorry Chloe, but I don't feel like stage diving."

"It's ok. Then I'll do the stage diving and you take some pictures with your new camera." She throws me my camera; I catch it and ask myself if this dialogue is just another coincidence. Am I dreaming? Am I in a coma, just dreaming all this? Does my brain fills in the blanks with some situations, I already experienced? Or is this just another nightmare between realities that will turn bad any moment now, because this is all is too good to be true?

"Hey Max, are you zoned out? I shake my sweet, little ass for you here and you just stare some holes into the wall? C'mon, hippie!"

"Sorry, I just…"

"Don't feel sorry, let's shoot some pictures!"

Chloe continues dancing and I take some pictures. I even remember the song; it was one of our favorites when we were kids. We danced for hours on Chloe's bed to this song. My body tickles; I feel the need to move it, so I stand up and try to dance, too.

"Yeah Max, that's the spirit. Whoohoo, shake your bony, white ass!"

I feel free as I dance with Chloe; I feel like we are kids again. Closing my eyes, I let the music flow through my body and move it to the beat. I feel the pain in my stomach, I ignore it. I feel the dizziness returning into my head and I ignore it. I just move to the beat until I feel like I could fly and so I let myself drop, landing on the bed, totally exhausted. I feel happy and with a big smile on my face everything fades and blurs; Chloe, the music, my thoughts. I fall into a deep sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Changes

**Chapter 9: Changes**

This time my sleep isn't dreamless. I have Nightmares about Chloe's death, the torture in the Dark Room and the destruction of Arcadia Bay; these nightmares repeat themselves again and again, like I'm stuck in a time loop. Everything rewinds and I have to live through everything again, without altering it.

I wake up. My heart races and I'm bathed in sweat. I feel like shit; my head and my whole body hurts.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" I turn my head and see Chloe beside me, smiling warmly; she starts stroking my head. "How's your sleep?"

I shake my head. "Nightmares. A shitload of it."

"I could tell. You moved a lot in your sleep. One time you even screamed and I had to comfort you, don't you remember?" I shake my head again. "Huh, didn't know you're a sleepwalker."

"I didn't know either."

"At first you were in such a tight sleep, I could change you into your pajamas, without you even noticing it."

I look down at me and notice that I'm wearing my pajamas. "I was knocked out that hard? Sorry!"

She shrugs and lifts herself up, suddenly grinning. "Well, I think I have to live with it. But don't hold me responsible, if you do some dirty things with me in your sleep and I'm not fighting it." Good old Chloe, there was the mocking again. I just smile and shake my head. Now she jumps out of the bed, stretching herself. "I don't know about you, but it's 9 am and I'm hella hungry. So, I'm gonna hit the shower and get me a big time breakfast. Wanna join?" Chloe walks to the door and opens it.

"Shower or breakfast?"

"Both!"

"Breakfast yes, shower…maybe another time."

"Ha, you didn't say no!" I throw a pillow at her, but it just hits the nearly closed door. "Missed!" And then the door closes completely and I'm alone.

Now I stand up very slowly, take my camera and make a selfie. Boy, I'm not only feeling like shit. As I smell at myself, I know that I definitely gonna need a shower, too. But I won't give Chloe any reason to mock me again by joining her now. So, I'll just wait until she's done.

My nosy nature dictates me to look around her room. I'm still thrilled that she cleaned it. My view falls on some paper with the symbol of Blackwell Academy on her desk. I take a closer look; and I'm shocked again. It's an application form for Blackwell. Wowser, does Chloe want to go back to school? No way! Why would she? I look at the date; it was signed two days ago!

Just as I want to put the form back, the door opens and Chloe comes in, only her pirate-towel around her body. She looks at me, rushes over and snaps the paper out of my hand. "Yo Max, this is private stuff."

I just cross my arms and look at her with a big, victorious smile. "You know I'm very nosy, so it's your loss, if you leave your private stuff out in the open. So, tell me!"

She blushes, but tries to stay cool. "Tell you what?"

I just roll my eyes. "C'mon, you know what I mean. Are you really thinking about going back to school?"

"No, I just…I mean, this is…uh…" I still look at her, tapping with my finger on my arm eagerly. "Ugh fuck. You're such a nosy smartass! Yes, I want to go back to fucking school and try to finish it this time. Y'know, changing life and stuff."

"But why Blackwell, you were kicked out there, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. But I don't want to go to another school. I want to be at the same school as you are; maybe have some classes together; sharing a dorm room; light up some shit and living a student's life. Max, I want to make up some time with you; time I missed."

I'm still not completely convinced and need to be sure that she thought this all through. So, I poke her a bit more. "But how are you gonna pay for the school and how are you convince them to take you back in?"

"Well, seems like I didn't smoke up my entire College fund. Mom told me, she blocked my access to the account as soon as she noticed that I'm using it for buying drugs. And she still puts some money on it constantly, hoping I may reconsider my life." Thanks Joyce! "Oh, and I googled everything! It's possible to sign in again, even if you were expelled. It just has to be approved by the Principal…aaaand you need to have a good reason." She pauses, although she already convinced me I still just look at her, because I know, what she's gonna ask now. "Max, will you help me filling out this application form in order to become a Blackhell student again? 'cause you got more brain than I do. Please, don't make me beg!"

I hug her, pressing her to me as strong as possible. "Of cause I will, dummy!"

"Thanks Max!"

I look deeply into her deep blue eyes. "No, Chloe. I thank you! You're doing all this for me and I don't even know how to repay you."

She touches my cheek. "Max, you gave me so much; a new reason to live, your love, and your faith. You showed me a new side of my life, I haven't seen since my dad died. Max, I…"

Before she could finish I press my lips onto hers, pressing her body stronger onto mine. I can feel her heartbeat on my chest, beating faster and faster. My cheeks are getting warmer; I feel an inner heat from inside my body. I close my eyes and stop thinking, just acting on pure instinct; like last night, when I danced. I open my mouth a bit and start to play with my tongue on Chloe's lips; she opens hers, too and I French kiss for the first time. It feels amazing, strange, but just amazing. If I still could, I would stop time and never let this moment pass. We start to stroke each other's back; I even move my hand all the way down to her butt. The knot in Chloe's towel loosens and it falls down to the ground. She's completely naked and this thought makes my body become even hotter. We move ourselves closer to her bed. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, my head is blank, I just want more; more of this, more of Chloe.

"Chloe! Max! Breakfast is ready!" Joyce yells it through the house.

Chloe stops kissing and yells back. "Bad timing, mom!"

"Get your tongues out of each other and get your asses down here, before the food gets cold."

"Damn, can she see through walls? Sorry, Maximus." She backs away.

I still feel hot all over my body, breathing heavily; everything is shaking. "It's ok, I…it just was…"

She grins. "Amazeballs?" I nod. "Well, I'm looking forward for tonight. This will be continued and this time, Mad Max, no excuses."

I just nod again. "Agreed!"

"Well, I better get dressed. Mom always freaks out, if I wander around the house, naked."

"I better not ask."

"Drugs are bad, Max. They make you do things you'll regret later." She starts dressing and I watch her. I would give everything to touch her again, right now. "Yo, Max! Snap out of it. You'll see more of me tonight."

"Sorry."

"Don't be, you're my girlfriend, its fine. But I'm hungry and mom gets furious when her food gets cold, so let's move it." I move to the door, Chloe behind me and suddenly she slaps my ass. "Yeah, I always wanted to do that!"

"Ouch!" I smile at her and before we go down the stairs we both give us a little kiss.

There is no better smell than eggs and beacon in the morning. My stomach grumbles out loud as we sit down on the table and Joyce brings in the food.

"Well, I could hear both of your stomachs grumble from down here. Now eat up as long as it is hot and tasty."

"Thanks, Joyce!" I missed her food for the last five years. The platter hasn't even touched the table as I started to eat.

Chloe punches me in the side to tell me that I shouldn't eat that fast. "Thanks, mom!"

"No need to thank me. You both deserve it." She sits herself down on the other side of the table and sights. "To see you both again as one team is warming up my heart. I'm glad, you both found each other again. It's so nice to see young love. This always reminds me of me and William."

Chloe suddenly coughs, spilling half of her food over the table. "Sorry!"

Joyce just smiles. "Well, some things never change, but I see, you're going to change a lot around here in the future, Max." I just look at her, still trying not to choke on this delicious food, while I gulp it in. "I think you already admired Chloe's room and that she stopped smoking, am I right?"

I just nod again, like most of the time I don't know what to say. Chloe just looks on her platter, trying to stay out of this conversation.

"Come on, Chloe. I may be working in a diner, but I can see, smell and do some combinations on my own. Max, did you even know that she sung every time she returned from the hospital?"

I stop eating and look at Chloe. "Really?" Chloe still tries to stay out of this conversation.

"Yeah, really. I've never seen her that happy since William passed on."

Chloe lets her fork drop and looks angry at Joyce. "Mom, please stop talking about dad's death, your ruining my good mood!"

Joyce raises her hand in an apologetically gesture. "I'm sorry, you're right. It's just…" She sighs. "I'm so happy and speechless at the same time. David and I tried everything to change her, but nothing worked. If we knew, you were the only missing part, we would have dragged you all the way back here by ourselves."

"Yup, you should've done that, mom!" She smiles. Chloe is smiling in a conversation with Joyce? No yelling, no cursing, no raging? Now I'm about to belief it myself that I have a major impact on her.

"Well, I've got to get going." She gets up. "Oh, by the way, Chloe. I'll give you full access to your fund as soon as you hand me in the confirmation that you're a student at Blackwell again. I hope, she already told you, Max?"

I smile. "I found it out myself."

"I never doubted you."

"Oh mom, is there no trust in this world anymore?" Chloe asks sarcastically.

"No, there's not. You need to earn it! But so far you're doing well." She takes her purse. "Have a nice day, girls. And don't burn down the house!" The door falls into the lock and she is gone.

We both eat up and then Chloe takes our platters and puts them into the kitchen. Then she comes back. "Well, Max. What's your plan for today? Just staying all day in my room and listen to music? Or make out some more?"

"Actually, I want you to drive me to Blackwell. I need to get some stuff from my dorm room. And after that, I want to get some flowers and give Rachel a visit."

Chloe's face darkens. "Why would you want to do that? You didn't even know her."

"No, I didn't, but I want to show her my respect. Actually, she's the reason we met again. I know, it must be hard for you and you don't even have to go to her grave with me, just bring me to the cemetery."

At first, she says nothing, caught in deep thoughts; than she raises her head. "Alright, I'll do it. But you go alone in there."

"Of course."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Hit the shower and get dressed Caulfield! Or should I drive you around in your pajamas, all smelly?" She smiles again and I'm glad that the shadow on her face has vanished.

"Yes, Ma'am, hitting the shower and changing clothes!" I salute to her.

"Need some help?"

"No thanks, Chlo. If you gonna help, we won't leave this house until midnight."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I just leave this question unanswered and go upstairs, grab some fresh clothes and go to the bathroom; washing away all the nightmares of last night and the remaining smell of the hospital; Max Caulfield is back in action!


	10. Chapter 10: Memories

Chapter 10: Memories

Chloe and I are on our way to Blackwell. During our drive I look out of the window, watching the life at Arcadia Bay. No dead birds, no dead whales and no destruction. Arcadia Bay is alive and nobody will ever know otherwise. I managed to save it; I saved all those people and my Chloe. I just hope it stays that way.

We finally arrive at Blackwell. It is Saturday; the whole campus is swarming with students. I hate to admit it, but I missed being here.

"Well, here we are? Can your loyal chauffer and companion do anything else for you." She says it with a faked English dialect.

I smile and try to play her game. "No thank you, James. But if you want, you can accompany me at my travel to the dorm room."

"I don't think so." Her voice sounds normal again.

"C'mon! I thought you want to take care of me. What if I fall? Then there would be no one to catch me midair!"

She sights aloud. "All right, Miss Pain-in-the-ass. But if I see any unpleasant people, I'll return to my truck immediately."

"Sorry, Chloe, but sometimes I need to kick your sweet butt."

We get out of the truck and straight to the Dormitories. Right in front of it, Chloe meets Justin and wants to talk with him for old times' sake. I let them do their talking and continue my way to my room. The dorm is extraordinary quiet. No loud music, no chatter? Maybe most of the girls are outside, enjoying the warm autumn weather. I go to my room door. The slate beside my door is full of sweet massages. I recognize all handwritings, even Victoria wishes me well. After I open the door and step inside, I instantly realize that my room is very clean, cleaner than I left it. No dust, no stuff lying around; even Lisa's got watered periodically and wears full green leafs. Did Chloe clean in here, too? It knocks on the door and Kate enters.

"Hi Max!"

"Katie!" We hug.

"How are you? Are you back?"

"I'm fine, Kate. But no, I'm not back, yet. I stay at Chloe's house for the next week; she takes care of me until I'm all up and running again."

She nods. "Ok, that's nice. I'm glad she helps you. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to keep your room clean and your Lisa watered."

"You did that?" She nods and I hug her again. "Thanks Katie, this is so sweet! You're a real angel!"

"No, Max. You are! Your sacrifice cleaned Blackwell from the bad people and brought justice. If I could, I would do more."

I blush. Did she really call me an angel? I don't feel like an angel, more like a shy girl that suddenly got cosmic powers, fucked up big time and just was lucky enough to repair the damage. "No, Kate. I'm not an angel. I'm just Max Caulfield. I fucked up a lot of times and I'm just glad, you don't run away from me."

She touches my cheek, wiping away one tear that runs down. "Max, you're so modest, even too modest. Maybe you're not an angel, but you're definitely a hero! Not only for me, but for everyone at this school and beyond. You saved your friend's live, brought justice to the wicked and gave hope to those who suffered from bullying; showed them that even the geekiest person can be brighter than every wannabe star at this school."

It's hard to accept that you might be a hero or a saint, even if other persons tell you. I just don't feel like a hero, more like a normal person. "Katie, I…I don't know…"

"It's ok, Max. You don't need to tell me everything and I don't want to force you to accept it. But you need to know, how everybody feels." No words will come into my mind. I just stand there, on the edge of crying. Maybe she is right, maybe I am a hero in their eyes, but if everybody knew, I was ready to risk them all to save one person's life, they wouldn't celebrate me; they would hate me, just like I do myself! Oh Kate, if you and everybody else just knew!

I hug her again. "Kate, you are the best friend everybody could wish for."

"Thanks Max! You, too! And don't you dare putting yourself on a lower level!" I just laugh out of happiness. I'm so glad that I have Kate at my side; she's a real angel, not me. "Well Max, we should stop hugging or otherwise Chloe will get jealous again." I instantly stop hugging and stare at her with my eyes wide open. Does she know?

She must have read my puzzled face. "Oh Max, the way you both always looked at each other; the impulsive and protective jealousy of Chloe; these are all signs of the deep bonding between you two. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks, Kate."

"No problem, that's what friends are for! Well, I better keep going."

"Yeah, me too. I need to pack some stuff together and wait for Chloe."

"Where's she?"

"Outside, talking with some old buddies."

"You two are a sweet couple." She smiles, I blush. "Maybe we three should have a tea-session some time."

"Yeah, that would be nice. I try to convince Chloe to come. But maybe you should also bring some coffee or beer."

We both laugh. "See you, Max!"

"Goodbye, Kate!"

Right after she left the room, I start packing some stuff together. Fresh clothes, some DVDs and books, and last, but not least my guitar. I notice some letters on my nightstand; two weeks of mail. I just put them to the other stuff, without even looking at them.

The door opens again. I turn around and expect Chloe, but instead Victoria stands there, smiling at me. "Victoria!"

"Hello, Max. And please, call me Vic."

I'm looking at her, totally puzzled. Did I just hear right? "Aren't only your friends allowed to call you Vic?"

"Of course, Max. And I hope you know what this means!"

Victoria sees me as her friend? Is she for real or is she just mocking me again? "I thought we weren't friends?"

She just shrugs. "Well, I changed my mind." She comes closer to me. "Max, I thought about us and I think we shouldn't be opponents."

"I never wanted to be your opponent, Victo…uh, Vic." This sounds really awkward for me.

She just ignores my comment and continues speaking. "Max, we should combine our skills!" Now I'm just looking at her even more quizzical. What does she want? "I saw your pictures and they're great, not my personal style, but really great." A compliment from Victoria? Am I in another reality again or did I change something without my knowledge? "But I think you and I can learn more from each other; you could become…no, WE could become more! If we join forces, we could be the best photographers, Blackwell's ever seen!" She looks at me, probably expecting me to make some jumps and smile my ass off. But I just stand there, still totally puzzled and overrun by this proposal. "So, what are you saying, Max?"

"Ah, well…y'know, Vic…uhm. Thanks?"

Her smile melts away like snow on a warm summer's day and she crosses her arms. "Thanks? This wasn't even an answer!"

"Maximus, are you ready to go?" The door opens and Chloe enters, saving me from this awkward situation. Thanks Chloe, I owe you one!

Again, Victoria looks at her with disgust. "Well, Max, just think about it and give me a call. See ya!" She walks directly out of the room, without giving me or Chloe another glimpse.

Like in the hospital, Chloe just slams the door behind her shut. Luckily, that far nobody got hurt. "What a bitch! What the fuck did she want?"

Though I'm happy to see Chloe, I don't know if I could tell her about Victoria's immoral offer. "Nothing, just talk and welcome me back and stuff."

Chloe just musters me, but then shrugs. "Well, we'll never know how the small brains of such bitches work. So, let's get your stuff and bail!" She grabs my packed bag and my guitar, heading straight for the door. Instantly she stops, so that I nearly run into her. She turns and looks directly into my eyes. "Did you cry again?"

How does she know? I just stand there, perplexed by this question out of nowhere.

"Did she make you cry? I'm gonna beat her senseless!"

I hold her by her arm, before she even reaches for the doorknob. "No, she didn't do it. Kate was here and I just had a flashback of memories and then I lost it. She comforted me. Now everything is fine."

"Huh. Ok, no bitch slapping today. But if she ever hurts you, just say the word!"

I smile and nod.

"Alright, let's bail!"

We reach the cemetery in the afternoon. The sun is already getting slightly red, because the days are getting shorter. The first trees are painting their leaves gold, it's getting colder. I just love autumn. This season can even make the darkest cemetery become a positive place. But not today; today this cemetery is just the terrible and sad place that it always was and always will be.

Chloe parks her truck in front of the gate. She looks sad. "Max, I'm sorry, but I can't…"

I lie my hand on hers. "It's ok, Chloe. You don't have to. Just stay here and wait for me, ok?"

She nods. "Thanks Max!"

I open the door and step out of the truck, the flowers I got in town in my hand. Rachel's grave is not far away from the entry, just a bit up the small hill. I pass by a lot of tombstones; some are old and withered, others are new; like Rachel's. It could've been a lot more, if the storm had hit Arcadia Bay. I try to forget this thought and concentrate on the fresh grave in front of me, lying down the flowers. I read the inscription on the stone.

 _Here rests Rachel Amber, beloved and never forgotten._

I don't believe in ghosts or heaven, but I feel the need to talk to her or at least to say something. "Hi, Rachel! Uhm…you probably don't know me, at least not in person. I don't know what Chloe told you about me or if she even mentioned me at all…I wouldn't be mad at her, if she didn't…but I want to say, I'm sorry." I sob. "I'm sorry that this happened to you." Tears are running down my cheeks. "I'm sorry that I couldn't save you! I tried; WE tried so hard, but…"

"It's ok, Max." Suddenly Chloe stands beside me. She puts her arm around my shoulders. "She'd understand." I cry even harder and dig my head into Chloe's chest.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe! I wish I could've done more; I wish I could've saved her, too!"

"Max, you did everything you could, nothing less. You saved a lot of people, including me! You are responsible that those fuckers, who did this to her, are in fucking jail. You did everything for her. You gave her and everyone who knew her, peace." Chloe starts to cry, too. "Max, without you, we never would've found her. If it weren't for you, she would still be lying on this fucking junkyard!" Her words are comforting me. We both hug each other and stand there for several minutes.

"Thanks, Chloe!"

She smiles at me and wipes my tears off my face. "Just don't you ever hold yourself responsible for everything that has happened! Life is strange and we can't change it! Even if we all had those rewind powers, still bad things would happen. Do you understand me?" I nod. She sounds so firm, so grown up again. All this changed her. Maybe my whole life is bonded with Chloe's; I changed my life and with it, I changed her. "Max, do you mind giving me one minute with Rachel, alone?"

"No, not at all. It's alright."

"Thanks!"

Walking down the hill I take a look back and instantly stop. Chloe stands in front of Rachel's fresh grave, arms around herself, head down. The golden light illuminates her. I take out my camera and take a picture of this moment. It's a sad picture, it makes me wanna cry again, but it's also magical; like a drama.

Now Chloe walks down the hill, too. She has fresh tears on her face. "C'mon, Max. This place depresses me."

"Are you alright?"

"It's okay. I just needed some time alone with all these memories I still have of her. Rachel is the second person I loved, who's gone now." She grabs my shoulders and watches deeply into my eyes. "Max, please don't ever leave me! I don't know if I could bear another loss of a loved person, especially you."

"I'll never ever leave you, Chloe! I promised you with all my heart that I won't!" We kiss. I smile at her and now I'm the one that wipes off her tears. "Let's go."

We leave the cemetery, holding hands. I just take one last glimpse back at Rachel' grave and see a Doe, standing on it; looking directly at me. After shaking my head, I look again and it is gone. Am I gonna get crazy?


	11. Chapter 11: Application

**Chapter 11: Application**

As we arrive at Price Manor again, we walk straight in Chloe's room. Chloe puts my stuff into my part of the closet.

"Thanks, Chloe!"

"No biggie! How are you feeling?"

I just shrug. "A little bit tired and very hungry." It's already been 5 hours ago, since we ate something and just now I notice how much my stomach grumbles.

"I hear ya, sister. Maybe it is time for a Chloe-style-sandwich!"

"What is a Chloe-style-sandwich?"

She grins. "You'll see, just wait here and get some rest!"

Chloe leaves the room. I put my camera bag on the floor and take out the picture, I shot at the cemetery. It's still a perfect shot; the light, the scenery, Chloe; it all fits. The picture flickers and blurs and as I focus on it again, the doe stands on Rachel's grave again. I blink and the doe is done; as I scare myself, the picture falls out of my hands onto the floor. What the fuck is going on with me? Are these powers are still in me or am I just losing it?

Chloe enters the room; two platters with big sandwiches in each hand. "May I present to you, the sandwich á la Chloe!"

She reaches me the platter and I just look at that big sandwich with awe. Bacon, lettuce, salad, onions, tomatoes and even some barbecue sauce. "It's very big and rich!"

"Well, duh! It was developed to satisfy the big hunger…especially after some medication."

She grins and we both take a big bite. It tastes so good; I instantly take another bite, nearly chocking on it.

"Good?"

"Very good!"

Chloe looks on the floor and sees the picture that fell to the ground. "Hey, what's that?" She picks it up and looks on it for some time. "When did you take it?"

Oh shit, she sounds a little shocked. Was it wrong to take this picture? "I'm sorry, I just saw you there, on the hill and everything was perfect; I just…"

"It looks hella awesome, Max!"

Now I look surprised. "You're not mad at me, for taking a picture of this intimate moment?"

"Why should I? It is your job to take pictures of such moments, doesn't matter, if they're happy or sad."

She wants to give me the picture back, but I shake my head. "Keep it!"

"For real?"

"Yeah, if you love it, you can keep it."

"Thanks, Max!" She hugs me again. I love it, when she gets all mushy!

We finish our sandwiches and watch some movies on my laptop. At 9 pm I'm totally busted and yawn the whole time.

"I think we should hit the sack."

"What?! It's just 9 pm and it is Saturday, hippie! I'm fully awake!"

"True, but you didn't get shot and need to recover from such a great experience. But you can stay awake and watch some more movies, if you like. I've got earplugs you can use. By the way, we have to write your application form tomorrow and this is gonna be a piece of work, so I need some rest!"

She shrugs. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's hit the sack!" Chloe jumps out of bed and walks straight out of the room and I just ask myself, why she's in such a good mood, all of a sudden.

After a short while she returns, still happy. "The bathroom is all yours!"

Either I missed something or she's recently happy to go to bed. I don't know and I don't want to know, because I'm so fucking tired. I grab my pajamas and walk to the bathroom, brush my teeth, wash myself and change into my comfortable pajamas; ready for some big time sleep!

As I return to Chloe's room, she already lies in bed, under the blanked. I turn off the light and crawl into bed. It feels so good, lying down into a warm and cozy bed, and just as I wanted to say good night to Chloe I feel her hand on my body.

"Chloe, what are you doing?"

"Do you remember, what we agreed this morning?" Oh shit, I forgot! That's why, she was so happy to go to bed.

I gulp. "Chloe, I know, but I'm very tired and this day…"

"No excuses, Max! You promised! And I really need some mushy time."

I gulp again, my body shakes. I don't know what to do, my head is blank again; I'm in shock, feeling her warm breath in my face as she whispers in my ear. "Just close your eyes and relax, babe. Let me do everything!"

She turns my head into her direction and starts kissing me. It feels good and I let myself fall. The tiredness is completely gone. Her hand continues petting my body; it wanders under my shirt and tickles my belly. She touches my breasts, pets them. With every more inch she touches, my breathing becomes heavier; I feel like I'm gonna losing it; I feel this warm feeling from inside of my body again. It tells me that I want more; more of this and more of her! More touching; more kissing; more of Chloe. Now her hand wanders down my body and she touches my wound; it feels strange and my whole body twitches. A moan escapes my mouth.

She instantly stops. "Sorry, Max! Did I hurt you? Is everything okay? Should I stop?"

"No! It just felt strange and I-I don't know. I'm kinda scared, b-but I want this. I want you!"

Chloe lifts my shirt a bit and kisses my wound. It still feels strange, but now I accept it. She kisses more of my body, all the way up to my mouth. My body heats up more and more, I start to feel even stranger with every passing second. Her hand reaches the deeper parts, my thighs, my hip and finally my private parts. Suddenly everything twitches again, the heat crawls from down there through my whole body, my mind goes numb; a feeling of pure lust rises inside of me; burns me. I can't keep it to myself; I moan, pressing myself tight onto Chloe with all my strength, until this feeling passes. I fall back, breathing in and out deeply.

"That was fast! I barely touched you down there. Was it your first one?"

I just nod, focused on breathing, too exhausted to talk. Try to process, what just happened.

"Wow, didn't think that I would knock you out this hard."

Step by step my thinking returns; I can move again; my breathing is still heavy, but not like hyperventilating anymore; and I've full control of my body again. Now it's time for some payback! Before she's even able say another word I wrap my arms around Chloe's neck and start kissing her. At first, she tries to struggle against it out of pure surprise, but in the end, she gives in. And as I try to do the same things she did, I notice that she's completely naked. I stop for a moment and look at her. She grins at me mischievously. Bad girl! At first it is odd to touch another woman's body, but soon I realize that I'm starting to like the feeling of it; that I like Chloe's body; no, I love it! I press her even closer to me and as I reach her nether regions she suddenly moans a lot of _Ohs, fucks_ and _yeahs,_ her body starts shaking like mine did.

After she stops shaking, I couldn't suppress a mock. "Look, who's fast, too."

"Shut…up! It's…been…a…while."

"Just admit it, I'm good and you were horny as fuck!" I grin at her.

"How? I mean…I thought…you never…"

"I'm a fast learner!" My grin gets even bigger.

We lie there for some time, without even saying one word, just listening to our deep breaths. Chloe breaks the silence. "And, how was it?"

Now that my mind works properly again, I blush. Thank dog, its dark enough and Chloe can't see my deep red face. "Well, it was…nice."

Chloe lifts herself a bit up, her eyes focused on me. "Just nice?"

Damn, this came out wrong. "I mean, it was great! I didn't expect it would feel that great."

She lies back down. "I hope so; otherwise I would be very disappointed in you. Pft…nice." A little pause. "Max? Why didn't you…y'know…before?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I never thought about it; was never interested in it; never missed it. Like any other love-relationship-stuff."

"You never even were curious and experimented?"

"Not really. I know; I'm weird."

"No, you're not. I've just never met someone before, who wasn't curious about sex; but it's ok. So, I had the honor to be your first one."

From the sound of her voice I could hear that she means it by heart. "And I'm glad you're my first one!" I move myself closer to her, laying my head on her shoulder and wrap my arm around her body. But now that we have this conversation, another question pops into my head. "Chloe?"

"Hmm?"

"How does it feel, when you do it with guys?"

Now she moves a bit away from me, again getting a little bit up. "Why you wanna know?" She sounds worried.

"Just curious, y'know."

"If you wanna know it, not as good as they wanna tell you. Men are forcing too much; they're too rough. They want to dominate you; tell you what to do; no fun part for you."

"Is that why you love women?"

"No, Max. That's just a fact! And I don't love women, I love you!" She sounds pissed. Did she have some bad experiences with guys?

"Sorry, I didn't want to mock you."

"Then why do you ask such bullshit?"

"Chloe, you made me curious and now I want to know more."

She calms down and sighs. "Ok, if you want to know more, I'll tell you! You were the first women for me and even so you're a beginner at such things, everything was better; softer. You took your time, teased me, even played with me and this was just awesome! I'm eager to do more of it; and even try some other stuff!"

"There's more?"

"Oh Max! Don't be mad at me, but you're such a child when it comes to sex. Of cause there's hella more, but I won't spoil you!"

"Jerk!"

Chloe laughs. "That's the company I keep!"

As we lie there, silence takes over again. My head is near her chest; I can hear her breath; her heartbeat; I love to hear it. And as I'm getting more and more comfortable I drift away into sleep, feeling free and released.

This night I had very intensive dreams about me and Chloe doing stuff. I wake up with a jump start; my body all sweaty again. My heart races. It's morning already. I look at Chloe, sleeping beside me and have the urge to touch her again. What is wrong with me? What has she done to me? Before last night, I didn't even bother with sex or such kind of stuff, and now? Did she turn me into a nympho? Looking at her calm face makes my body heat up again. I want her, I want her now! Swinging myself onto her, now sitting on her thighs, I grab her on her shoulders and pull her up to my face.

She wakes up, totally confused. "What the fuck?!"

"What have you done to me, Chloe?"

Before she's able to give an answer, I kiss her, pulling her closer to me. She doesn't resist, no, she even welcomes and enjoys it. In the end, we both lie beside each other again, breathing heavy; this time we're both naked. My stomach hurts. Was it too much action? Was it a mistake to give in so easily?

"What a wakeup call!" She sounds happy and looks at me with a big smile. I don't smile back, my stomach hurts way too much and I have doubts; doubts about everything. "Is everything alright, Max?"

I shake my head. "Are we doing the right thing?"

Chloe lifts herself up; I can see that she's concerned now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all of this. I'm out of hospital for two fucking days and we're doing such things. My stomach hurts like hell and I have a bad feeling. I mean, it was great and I love you, but…" I start to cry.

Chloe hugs me. "It's alright, Max! I understand and I'm sorry that I forced you to do this." I like it when she's close to me, it's comforting. I feel ashamed for acting like this.

"Chloe, I don't blame you. It's just…I don't know…too much feelings; too much emotions. I can't handle it; it overwhelms me. Fuck, I'm so scared!"

"You don't have to be. I'm with you; always!" And I know she'll be, without even giving it another thought.

After an hour we stand up and take a shower. My stomach still hurts a bit, but it's getting better, until I only feel it grumble. Damn, I'm hungry! So we rush down into the kitchen. Joyce is already making some of her delicious pancakes. Did I mention that I'm hungry?

"Morning, Mom!"

"Good Morning, Joyce!"

We sit down at the table and instantly Joyce brings us a pile of her pancakes, drowning in maple syrup.

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Thank you!" I smile at her, but Joyce looks pretty serious. She sits down on the opposite side of the table again. Yesterday she was happy, and now she seems really pissed. Is something wrong?

Chloe breaks the silence, while gulping down on bite of pancake. "Where's David? I thought he wanted us to eat together on Sundays?"

"He locked himself in the garage, working on his car."

"Why?"

"Because we three need to talk in private."

Chloe and I look at each other, puzzled. "About what?"

"You two need to turn down the volume, while you're busy!"

I nearly choke on a piece of pancake as I realize where this is going, letting my fork fall loud onto my platter. Heat is crawling up my face. This is going to be very embarrassing!

But Chloe doesn't understand, yet. "What? We didn't even hear any music, yesterday!" Chloe instantly goes into defensive position. I just knock her arm with my elbow. "What, Max? Back me up!"

I just catch some breath to speak again. "She's not talking about the music, Chloe."

"What?! What else could she…oh…" You could hear a click in Chloe's brain, as she realizes what this conversation is going to be about. She stares at her mom, eyes wide open; her face turning red; speechless.

Joyce nods, satisfied. "Now that we're on the same page, let's make something clear! Me and David don't give a damn, what you two are doing up there in your room, as long as it stays up there."

"Mom, please…" I hear in her voice that this is all very uncomfortable for Chloe and I just wish I could sink into the ground and vanish.

Joyce continues, without minding Chloe's objection. "Chloe, last night David and I couldn't even watch a movie down here. I think even the whole neighborhood heard you!"

And then Chloe, still defensive, says something that almost knocks me from my chair. "But mom, it was Max's first time, you can't blame her to be a bit louder." Oh shit, now I wish my rewind back, just to knock her on her head and stop this conversation, before it even started. I feel so embarrassed. Thanks, Chloe! I repay her with a stomp on her foot. "Ouch!"

"It wasn't Max, who I heard at all. It was more like, and I quote, _Oh fuck yeah!_. Neither was it the first time, I heard these words out loud, nor is this the first conversation about this topic." Now Chloe is the one, who wants to disappear in an instant. "And this morning we heard it again, David couldn't even read his newspaper. Don't get me wrong, we're happy for you two and that it all works out well, but please keep your pleasures private; in your room! Are we clear?"

We both just nod simultaneously.

"Now that we've settled this, I need to get ready for work." She stands up and walks upstairs to change.

I'm burying my head into my hands. This was even more embarrassing then the moment I wet myself in elementary school. I don't even know if I should break out in hysterical laugh or just cry.

Chloe puts her hand on my back to comfort me. "I'm sorry, Max."

"For what?" I may sound more pissed than I am, but eventually it's all Chloe's fault.

"For my mom; this conversation...and that I told her, that you…y'know…never before…"

I sight, some anger boils inside me, but I suppress it. I don't want to fight with Chloe, not again. She didn't mean ill, it's just the way she is and I have to accept it. "It's okay, I'm not mad at you. It's just…dog…I never felt so embarrassed my whole life! But we pulled through it together." I take her hand, holding it tight, smiling at her. "Just keep it down, next time!"

Chloe blushes again and looks away. "Do I really say _Oh fuck yeah_ all the time?"

"Yes, you do." I lean closer to her and whisper in her ear. "Very loud and, as I may add, very sexy!" We both laugh out loud.

After this delicious and most embarrassing breakfast, we go up in Chloe's room, again. I sit down on her desk and start working through her application form. After one hour we filled out most of the documents.

"So far, so good. But we still need a good reason, why they should let you back into Blackwell."

"Beside the facts, that I'm a lot of fun and want to finish school?"

"Chloe please, take this seriously! We need to show them that you've changed and really want to finish school at Blackwell and no other school."

"But I hella changed and you know it."

"Yes, I know it, but you have to convince Principal Wells, not me. And this is only one of many problems we need to solve; and we need to solve them right away!"

"Fuck, this is gonna be hard!"

Hours pass as we try to find and write down a good explanation, why Chloe should be a Blackwell student again. Luckily, I read Chloe's file in this other reality, so I know, what she did wrong and how she's changed. After six hours, three big cups of coffee, a box of cookies, two sandwiches á la Chloe and maybe a thousand fucks we came up with an agreeable letter.

I put the form and the letter in an envelope and give it to Chloe. "This is your chance, Chloe! I'm so proud of you!"

She takes it and suddenly hugs and kisses me. "Thanks, Max. You're the best! Well, I better get going and bring this bad boy to Blackwell and throw it into their mailbox myself, 'cause I don't trust our post office" Her voice tells me that she is very nervous.

"You can do it; don't chicken out now!"

"Me and chicken out? Never!" She leaves the room and I hear her leaving the house. I look out of the window and see her truck driving down the street. I'm so proud of her!

Now that I have some time for myself, I start going through the stuff I brought here from my dorm room. The first thing that falls into my hands is the pile of mail. I go through the letters. Most of them are get-well-cards written by my relatives. Another one is a very formal letter from Principal Wells, lacking a lot of emotion; instead it is full of excuses; typical. The last one is from the Arcadia Bay Police Department; what the fuck? I open it with shaky hands. It's a summons for an interrogation on the whole Jefferson/Prescott case and I'm one of the main witnesses; and it's dated for the day after tomorrow.

Chloe must have received such a letter, too. Why haven't she told me? I know, this is not right, but I go through all her stuff on the table. No letter! This can't be, she was there with me in the restroom as I got shot and she was drugged by Nathan. She definitely has to be a witness, but she would've told me if she had an interrogation. There has to be a letter! Finally, I look at the last place, where I would put such an important letter, the trash can; and there it is. Chloe, how could you! I open it. Luckily, her interrogation is at the same date as mine, only half an hour earlier.

I hear Chloe's truck; a minute later she enters the room. "Hey Max, your loved one is back and has delivered the important mail. How about another kiss?" She looks at me and her smile fades, because my face is very serious. "What's wrong?"

I show her the letter. "This is wrong!"

She takes a closer look at it. "And what the fuck is this?"

Now I'm getting angry. "If you would've read your mail, instead of throwing it into the trash, you would've known that this is a summons for an interrogation on the Jefferson/Prescott case."

She just shrugs. "I thought it might be just another bullshit parking ticket or such stuff."

"You thought wrong! This is important!"

"Chillax, Max! They would've sent me another letter with another date, as they always do. Anyway, why would they want to talk to me? I think it's a waste of time!"

"Chloe, this is not about false parking! This is about other people's life and death! This is about you, me, Kate and Rachel. You want to avenge her? This is your chance! You want to help me? Back me up! Help us, throwing these bastards into jail! You know, what Jefferson did to me; you know, what I went through; you know, what Kate went through; and you know, what happened to Rachel! Stop being so selfish and help them! You want to change your life? This is another chance for you! Take it, like you did minutes ago!"

She still looks at me, her eyes glassy. "You're right, Max. I'll help you; I'll help all of you! We're gonna make those fuckers pay!" She snaps the letter out of my hand. "Fuck! I'm such a selfish bitch!"

I touch her arm; my voice soft now. "You WERE a selfish bitch. We're gonna change everything for the good!"


	12. Chapter 12: Invitation

**Chapter 12: Invitation**

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of rain, tapping on the roof. As soon as my mind is clear, fear runs through my body. I jump out of the bed and rush to the window. Is this the storm, coming for me?

"What's wrong, Max?" Chloe sounds sleepy. "It's just 7 am and I definitely need more sleep!"

I don't answer. The sky is grey and it rains cats and dogs, but no thunderstorm, no hurricane. I sigh in relief.

"Hello, Earth to Max!"

I turn to her.

Chloe sits in bed now. "Are…you…alright?"

"Yes…uhm…sorry for waking you up. I just…"

"Had a bad dream?" I nod. Chloe stands up and hugs me. "Don't worry, babe. There's no fucking storm coming." She strokes my back and gives me a kiss on the forehead. It comforts me, she comforts me. I know that I could tell her everything and she would've my back. "Come back to bed and relax. I could cuddle you into sleep, if you want?" She gives me a big smile.

Now I smirk. "Maybe, but no _Oh fuck yeah_!"

She punches my arm. "Smartass! You take the fun out of it! But you're right; I need to change my line."

Of cause we didn't sleep at all. Right after we crawled out of bed it knocks on the door.

"Chloe, Max, are you descent?" It's David.

"One minute, we're changing!" We put on our clothes. "Okay, come in!"

David enters the room. In the other reality he would have came in, checking every corner of the room; blaming Chloe for doing something. But this time he just takes one step in, looking friendly. He focuses on me, smiles and gives me his hand. "Max! I'm sorry for not seeing you earlier, but I was very busy tightening security on Blackwell after what happened to you." Okay, not everything changed.

"No problem, David."

"I want to thank you for saving Chloe from this sick bastard. You did a very heroic act there!"

"And I want to thank you for saving my life, David. Chloe told me that I wouldn't have made it without your first aid."

"I just did my job, Max. But you…you did something nobody could've ever asked of you. You risked your life for another person."

"No, David. I risked my life for the one person I love, for my Chloe."

David stops shaking my hand and I think I see him blush a little bit. "Yeah…right. You and Chloe are closer now." I notice that this is an unpleasant topic for him, but what else are you gonna expect from an oldschool soldier.

"Ok, mushy time's over. What's up, David?" It's still very unusual for me that Chloe treats David with respect, like a friend and not as a step-douche anymore.

"Yes…right. I take it, that both of you got a letter from the Arcadia Bay Police department?" We both nod. "Good! It's very important that the both of you show up there, because your testimony is going to have a big impact on the case. As head of Blackwell Security I already filed in my report and my testimony. I'm offering you my assistance, if any of you have some questions or need some help in this matter, just give me a call." We nod again. "Alright."

He turns around to leave the room, but I stop him by touching his arm. "Thanks for your help, David. We appreciate it!" He smiles at me and nods. Then he leaves the room. I turn to Chloe. "He's changed."

"I know, since the day you got shot, everything changed. I was so thankful that he saved you that I couldn't rage against him anymore. Prescott and Jefferson went to jail and the Vortex Club was shut down for good; a whole shitpile of problems was taken off his back over night. He even apologized to me and mom for being such a jerk the whole time. You really changed everything, Max!"

One small decision; one step; changed a lot of things. Talking about Butterfly-Effect. Fuck, just thinking about it hurts my head!

"Come on, Max! Let's hit the shower and grab something to bite or I'll eat you instead!"

Because of the shitty weather we planned to spend the rest of the day in Chloe's room; watching some movies; reading some books; and trying to keep Chloe at bay, not dragging me into bed again. The one time Kate saved me from this fate by calling me. She invited us to a little tea-session tomorrow. Chloe wasn't fond of this idea, but I told her that I would own her some mushy time if she joins us. Dog, she's so horny, sometimes I'm afraid of her; but it's fun to use it against her.

Now it's 3 pm and Chloe's phone rings while she's trying to read one of my photography books. She throws it on her desk, relieved to do something else and takes the call. The color fades from her face and all she says is "U-hu…u-hu…u-hu…" Then she puts down the phone, staring at me, speechless.

"Is everything alright?" She shakes her head. "Did something happen?" She nods. "Something bad?" She shakes her head again. Now I'm getting really nosy. "What is it?" Silence. "Chloe, tell me now!" I nearly yell at her in anticipation.

She gulps, trying to cache some breath. "That was Principal Wells' secretary. She just invited me for an interview this Wednesday, to talk about my application."

I jump on my feet and then on Chloe, still sitting in her chair. "You did it, this is great!" I hug and kiss her.

Chloe turns her head to one side and tries to free herself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, down Max!" I'm so happy that I ignore any protest, grab her and drag her to the bed, kissing her even more and finally she gives in.

I whisper in her ear. "I'm so proud of you, Chloe!"

"Wait, Max, wait!" She protests again and I stop. "I'm not accepted, yet!"

"But you will be, this was the first step and you did it!"

"Yes, with your help. But during that interview I'll be all alone." She wrenches herself out of my arms. "Max, without you I'm gonna fuck up, big time."

"No, you won't, 'cause you can do it and I'm hella gonna prepare you for it! And if you want I'll come with you, staying at your side the whole time!"

"You promise!"

"Yes, I promise!"


	13. Chapter 13: Diary

**Chapter 13: Diary**

 _Tuesday, October 22_

 _I'm exhausted! Just imagine you try to teach a person, who only knows 3 words_ _(_ _fuck, shit and hella) some manners: It took me 6 hours straight to prepare Chloe for her interview tomorrow! SIX FUCKING HOURS! At first Chloe didn't take me for granted as I told her that she needs some practice, but she failed utterly at the first question I asked her: Why do you want to go to Blackwell? This wasn't even a hard one and her answer was hilarious:_

 _'I hella want to finish fucking school to do some great shit in my life.'_

 _Are you cereal, Chloe? Three curses in the first answer! I just stared at her and told her that she failed. And that was the moment things went from bad to worse. Every time I told her that she would fail with her answer, she raged, cursing even more. Eventually she even threatened me that she would break up, if I'd let her fail once again. For real?! This was just practice and she threatens me with a break up?! That hurt, Chloe! This was the moment I lost it. I slapped her in the face and left the room. After a half jar of cookies and a felt gallon of shed tears, Chloe came to me and apologized for being such a bitch and that I could slap her again, if I wanted; and I did it! She surely seemed surprised that I did it again, but she took it like a…well…woman. I think the slaps worked on her, because after that, Chloe really surprised me. No fucks, no hellas and only one shit! Way to go, Chloe! But why do I always have to kick her ass to bring out her good side?_

 _The next big event for the day was the planned tea-session with Kate. Because of the very exhausting "Teach-Chloe-Some-Interview-Manners-Session" I asked Kate to come to Chloe's house to have as much time for teaching as possible. She agreed and asked if we have some tea preferences; I took my all-time-favorite peppermint-tea and Chloe; still not very fond of drinking tea with Kate; asked for the strongest stuff she has to offer…baaaad mistake, Chloe! Kate arrived as punctual as always. We boiled some water and sat down on the dinning-table. We talked about all different stuff: school, other people, Chloe's manners (not her favorite topic), and other girls stuff. Chloe was quiet, most of the time, not because she hadn't anything to say, but because the tea was too strong for her. Kate brought her some sick Indian-spice-tea that mainly contained of chili, pepper, curry and some other hot stuff. She took one sip and her face turned instantly red while Kate drank a whole cup without even blushing a bit. As Chloe jumped to the sink to drink a whole gallon of water after the second sip, I laughed out loud. Sadly she didn't talk to me for the rest of the day. :-(_

 _Well, because of that I finally have some time to write into my diary, despite I planned on not to do this anymore, because I share my thoughts with Chloe now, but she keeps pushing me to do it. She says that this is some kind of therapy for treating my bad experiences. I don't know, but I'm gonna trust her and try it some more. At least she cares about me._

 _Chloe: I know you will read my diary again, but I don't care, because I love you and there are no secrets between us. But please, don't push me too hard. I'll do everything you ask me to, but not under so much pressure. Everything changes so fast: you, my life, everything around us. Tomorrow is your great day! You'll do it; we'll do it, together! I love you, Chloe! Forever!_

 _Max: Very cheesy, but I like it! I'm not mad at you for laughing at me, but damn this tea was like fucking hell in my mouth. I couldn't speak to you, because my tongue was swollen and hurt like fuck. That's why I'm breaking your rule and write into your diary again. I'm so fucking nervous, I can't sleep! Well, I hope you can, though. Anyway I'm using this time to write you some lines. First of all I want to apologize for this breaking-up-thing; I really didn't mean it, it just…I don't know…I hope you'll forgive me for this, I've been such a damn bitch. You've done so much for me lately that I don't know how to repay you. Nobody did such things for me before…it's so…I…fuck, my eyes are leaking. Sorry, for the stains in your diary. Max, I love you! I love you with all my heart! And I want to ask you, if you want to…to…ah fuck, nothing, cheesy moment is over. Love ya! Your Chloe._


	14. Chapter 14: Interviews

**Chapter 14: Interviews**

It's Wednesday; interview-day. Chloe and I couldn't sleep the whole night. We need to be at Principal Wells' office at 9 am, so we got up at 7. I can feel that Chloe is very nervous; she doesn't speak at all, has shaky hands and is clumsy. Well, that would be normal for me, but not for her. She nearly slips in the shower, two times! I try to calm her down, but it won't work, because I'm as nervous as she is. At 8 am we eat breakfast, but we aren't hungry. Joyce knew this would happen, so she made us some sandwiches for later. Chloe's already dressed in her black suit, looking great; I put on my best trousers and shirt I could find. Chloe looks much better than me, but eventually she's the one with the big interview, not me.

At the ride to Blackwell we almost hit another car; only my scream let her react in time. Dog, she's so nervous. As we arrive 10 minutes early, she still hasn't said one word.

In front of the door, leading to the principal's secretary I break the silence, turning her towards me, making her look into my eyes. "Alright Chloe, this is it. You can do it! Just remember, no cursing, no raging and the most important thing: speak from your heart!" She just nods. I snap my fingers in front of her. "Hey, snap out of it! I'll be with you, don't worry!"

She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "You're right, let's do it!" Right before she opens the door, she turns around on the spot. "Or maybe not. Max, I can't do it! This was a stupid idea."

I hold her before she could get any further. "Chloe Elizabeth Price! You go in there right now or I'll slap you again until you change your mind!" Bypassing students start to look at us. Shit, we sound like mother and daughter, yuk!

"I hate it when you call me by my middle name!"

"What? Elizabeth!"

"Max, I dare you to stop or…"

"Or what? You wanna slap me?"

The secretary's door opens and she looks at the both of us. "Ah, Miss Price! Long time no see."

"Hi, Debby." Chloe's on first name basis with the secretary? I wonder how often she was send to the principal's office.

"Please come in, Principal Wells is ready to see you." Chloe walks into the secretary's office and I want to follow. "Miss Caulfield, glad to see you're well. What can I do for you?"

"I just want to accompany Chloe."

"Hmm, normally these application-interviews are private." Chloe looks at me with big eyes, fearing that I can't come with her; Debby recognizes it. "But, in the end, it is the principal's decision. So come in please."

"Thanks, Debby!" I smile at her and she smiles back. Sometimes I think she's the good soul of this school.

She closes the door behind us and moves on to the Principals door, knocks and enters. "Mister Wells, Miss Price and Miss Caulfield are here for the interview."

"Thanks, Mrs. Smith." Debby returns to her seat behind her desk and Principal Wells appears in the door. "Miss Price, right on time! Please, take a seat at my desk."

Chloe shakes the Wells' hand. "Thanks, Mr. Wells." She takes one last worried look at me and vanishes into the principal's office. Now Wells turns to me, shaking my hand too and smiles. "Miss Caulfield, I'm glad you're on your feet again. I hope you received my letter?"

I nod. "Yes, thanks Mr. Wells!"

"And how may I help you?"

"I want to attend Chloe's…uhm Miss Price's interview, please."

He looks at me with a firm expression. "Miss Caulfield, this is an unorthodox request. These interviews are a private matter, especially this one. Why should I let you attend?"

He didn't deny my request, yet. So this is my chance! "Because I encouraged her to do this, I helped her, she's my best friend and she needs my presence! I want her to be successful!"

His face hasn't changed a bit. "Miss Caulfield, under normal circumstances I would deny your request, but you are a shining light in this dark days of Blackwell Academy and the whole school owes you something. I think, I can do you this one favor and let you attend this interview." He lets me enter his office. I sigh in relief and take a seat beside Chloe. She seems relieved, too. Principal Wells takes his seat behind the desk in front of us. "Well, before we start the interview I want to make some things clear. Miss Caulfield, that you're attending this interview is a pure exception and I'll only let you stay here under one circumstance: you're going to be quiet the whole time! If you try to influence Miss Price or give any unnecessary comments, I will end this interview with all its consequences for Miss Price. Are we clear on that matter?" He looks at me; I nod. "Good." He turns to Chloe. "Miss Price, speaking frankly, this interview's only taking place out of pure curiosity from my side. As I opened your envelope and looked at an application form with your name on it, I thought about a bad prank. But then I became curious and started reading this letter. I got interested and wanted to know more, that's why we are sitting here today. So far, you surprised me more than one time. First the letter, then your punctuality and now you're sitting in front of me, dressed in a suit and without any unruly gestures or curses so far. I must say, I'm impressed…for now. I assume that Miss Caulfield has something to do with all this?"

Chloe nods. "Yes, sir."

He leans forward and takes the letter. "Miss Price, did you write this letter all by yourself?"

She tries to look into his eyes, but it's hard for her. "No, sir. Max helped me."

He leans back again. "Hmm, I thought so." Oh no, I hope that this isn't a bad sign. Hopefully he doesn't consider it cheating. "I'm glad you told me the truth, because I hate being lied to. You know, letters and these forms don't tell you anything about a person. They're all lies, no exceptions. Nobody writes the truth, but sadly you can't tell if someone's lying by reading these things only. You need to talk to the applicants in person; look into their eyes. I looked into yours and I saw the truth and I want you to be truthful all the time; the whole interview. If you lie to me just one time, you'll fail; no exceptions! Do you understand me, Miss Price?"

She nods again. "Yes, sir."

"Good! Now tell me, why do you want to attend Blackwell Academy, again?"

Chloe gulps, takes a deep breath. We trained this question and I've faith, that she will answer it correctly. "I want to go to Blackwell again, 'cause it's the best private school in the state of Oregon. It has a very good reputation and will help me to have a better chance in life than any other school." Very good, Chloe!

Wells doesn't seem to be pleased or surprised; he just nods. "Well, this is what it says on our website. Maybe for a normal interview it would be enough, but not for you. Miss Price, telling the truth includes telling me everything and the reputation of Blackwell is not your only reason. So please, tell me everything."

Chloe looks at me, I know what she's thinking and I nod to her! She turns her head to the principal again. "It's because of Max. She's my best friend and she's the one responsible for changing my very being. If it wasn't for her, I never would've considered going back to school; I wouldn't probably even be alive. We were separated for five years and I want to make up some time; go to school with her. And without her, I think I can't do one thing right. As long as she is on my side, I feel like I can do everything." She looks at me again and smiles, I smile back.

"Friendship is indeed very strong bond. You're not the first candidate, who wants to attend Blackwell Academy because a friend is a student at this school. But sadly, having friends at Blackwell is neither a free ticket nor a reason to become a Blackwell-student." My heart skips. Is the interview over? "But, you told me the truth again and I admire that." Phew, dodged that bullet. "But what's about your bad grades, Miss Price? You were a bad student as you left this school and missed more than two years of study. Are you sure you can catch up all that missing knowledge?"

Fuck! I expected this is gonna be a subject. This is a hard one and Chloe always failed on this question during our training. "Yes, I am!" She answers without hesitation.

"Why do you think so?" Fuck, fuck, fuck! I wish I could interfere or at least use my rewind if everything goes to shit, but I'm damned to just be a bystander.

"I think I can do it, 'cause just two days ago I would've raged on you because of this question, called you some ugly names and left your office before you would've even noticed that I'm already gone." He looks at her with big eyes, one eyebrow raised. "Max and I trained six hours straight for this interview and it helped. I learned to control myself and how to answer your questions without any curses." Wow, now I'm impressed by her. This is definitely the straight-A-student-Chloe!

Principal Wells sits there, not saying any word, just thinking. Did she do it? Then he sights. "This is all very interesting, Miss Price. And I must admit I'm still very surprised how you've changed. But who guaranties me that you won't fall back to your old habits. I still remember why I threw you out of Blackwell; what you did. You were one of the worst students I ever had in my whole career." I don't like were this is going. "I'm sorry, Miss Price. I see how you've changed and I belief that you want to change your life, but I'm afraid that this won't be at Blackwell Academy."

Oh no, this can't be true. Why? What else does he want from her? I fear that Chloe may freak out any minute now, but she just sits there, her head down. She whispers one word. "Please."

"What did you say? I couldn't understand you."

She raises her head, looking Wells directly into his eyes. "Please! I'd do anything, but please accept me."

"Miss Price, I know this is hard, but there are other formidable schools nearby. For example…"

Her voice gets louder. "No, I don't want to go to another school." Shit, she's losing it.

"Miss Price, please calm down."

"I am calm! I just want a chance to prove myself to you. How can I show you that I've changed; that I'm not this raging person anymore?" Please Chloe, hold it together. I put my hand on her leg to comfort her. Damn, I'd like to scream now!

"I don't know, Miss Price. I'm not the one, who needs to proof himself, you are. Maybe you have to make me an offer. Give me something more than just your word." Is he really considering to give her a chance?

"That's it!" She suddenly stands up. "Let me be student at Blackwell on probation." Now she smiles.

"What do you mean?" I think he understands, but he wants to hear the full idea from Chloe.

"If you give me the chance to proof myself a whole semester, I can show you that I've changed and I'll get the chance to finish school. If I fuck…sorry…mess up, you can throw me out instantly and I'll go without resisting!" Her smile gets bigger; hope sparkles in her eyes. Now Chloe even surprises me.

Principal Wells sits there for a while, quietly, just thinking again. The tension rises. "Alright, I think we have a deal. I'll accept your application. You'll be a student at Blackwell Academy again, but on probation for the whole semester!"

Chloe jumps in the air. "Hell yeah!" And then she pulls me up and hugs me! I'm so happy for her!

Mr. Wells coughs to get our attention. "I'll ignore this behavior this time, because of this special moment and congratulate you. But let me give you a warning! If I hear something bad about you and may it even be a small rumor, I'll investigate it. One false step and you're out again. Are we clear on this matter?"

Chloe nods holding out her hand, Mr. Well shakes it. "Yes, we're clear as glass."

"Well, than please go outside and talk to Mrs. Smith, she has all the forms and papers you'll need to fill out. In the meantime, I want to talk with Miss Caulfield in private."

My heart skips again. What does he want from me? Chloe looks at me with a concerned expression. "It's ok, do your paperwork and wait outside." I smile at her with confidence. She nods and leaves, closing the door behind her.

Principal Wells now stands in front of the window looking out of it. "Miss Caulfield, I don't know how you did it, but you've changed Miss Price completely. As I threw her out of this very school, everyone was happy about it. I tried to help her, let her stay as long as possible, hoping she would get her life in order after this tragically events, but she never did. I knew her potential, but she wasted it, hung out with the wrong people, and took drugs. She vandalized; terrorized teachers and students. I swore to myself, to never let anyone like her be a student on this school ever again. Today, I broke this oath." He turns around. "Miss Caulfield, please make sure that I won't regret it. I still see a lot of potential in her, she proofed it today, but if she starts to fall back into her old behavior, I won't hesitate this time to throw her out, forever."

Smiling at him I nod. "I'll keep her away from trouble. She's changed and I'll do everything to keep it that way!"

Now he's the one who smiles. "I'll belief you. You're an example for everyone, Miss Caulfield. I'll expect both of you next Monday in class."

"We'll be there."

I leave the office. Chloe is waiting for me in the secretary's office. As soon as she sees me, she jumps at me, kissing and hugging me all over my face, completely ignoring the fact that we're not alone. "I did it! You did it! We did it! Thanks Max!"

Luckily Debby's too busy with her paperwork; she doesn't even look up.

We leave Blackwell, heading for the Two Whales Diner to grab a bite and some coffee, before going to the police station. Chloe can't wait to tell Joyce that she's accepted at Blackwell. I can tell that she's very happy, 'cause she won't stop talking anymore. Thank dog that we are not at home or she would've cuddled me to death by now.

As we arrive at the diner we take our seats and Joyce instantly rushes to our table. Chloe puts on the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face and gives her the approved application. "Now I want my money, please." Joyce ignores her comment, lifts her out of her seat und hugs her like crazy. I laugh as I see, how Chloe tries to unwrap herself from her moms iron grip, failing utterly. "Mom! Air…air…can't breathe!"

Joyce releases her. "Sorry, but I'm so happy and proud of you, Chloe." Some tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh mom, now please don't get mushy."

She looks at me now. Oh no. And before I could even say one word, she does the same thing to me as she did with Chloe before, hugging the air out of my lungs. As I start to groan, because of the pain in my stomach and the loss of air, she lets me go instantly. "Sorry, Max. I didn't want to hurt you."

I catch some air. "It's alright, Joyce. No harm done."

"I don't know how we ever could make this up to you, Max. We're so thankful and…" Joyce sobs, trying not to cry like a howling dog. After a minute she calmed herself down enough. "Y'know what? I'll bring you girls two big Two-Whales-Burgers to celebrate this moment; my treat!"

"Woohoo! Thanks, mom!"

"Thanks, Joyce!"

Five minutes later we each got one big platter, filled with one big burger and a buttload of fries. Let's eat!

While we're eating, I'm asking myself what courses Chloe wants to attend at school. "Chloe?"

"Hmm?" She looks at me, her mouth full of fries. Luckily she hasn't spilled something on her suit, yet.

"Show me your schedule. I want to know the classes we share." She wipes her hands clean, starts to search for her schedule and puts it on the table. I look at it. "Hmm, okay. Let's see." Sadly we won't share that many classes, but from what I can see, Chloe choose to be a science major. But something catches my interest. "You choose photography as a course?"

She looks at me and shrugs. "Yeah, why?"

"Are you really sure about this?"

"C'mon, Max. I'll be a science major and I know we won't share that many classes. So I thought about to do some photography as a minor. How hard can it be?"

"It can be very hard, Chloe! Book reports, contests, interpretation of pictures, history of photography…this isn't a walk in the park."

Chloe still remains calm. Oh Chloe, if you would just know. "You could help me learning all this stuff."

"Chloe, you don't even have your own camera! How are you supposed to shoot some pictures?"

She shrugs. "Well, I gave you my camera, so I'll use it."

Now I lean forward, my voice getting a bit angry. "No, Chloe! This is not how it works! You'll need your own camera, develop your own style! I don't know, who's gonna be our next teacher, but if he's half as good as Jefferson, he's gonna bust your balls for using another students camera!"

"Chillax, Maximus! We don't even know if the new teacher is gonna be that badass. And I have a camera on my own." She pulls her phone out of the pocket. I'm just burying my head into my hands and sigh. "What? It's a camera."

Now I'm gonna get really pissed, because I've got the feeling she doesn't take it seriously. "No, Chloe. This is your phone! Fuck! Photographers are artists and art is a rough minefield. If you fuck up, you're fucked for life. If you piss on your teacher, he'll fuck you sideways and spills your guts in the whole classroom. Why do you think I worked so hard to be in this course as a major? Chloe, I'm not messing around with you, but you'll fail, if you're not taking this seriously!"

She looks down. "Sorry, I didn't know and I definitely wanna take this seriously. But you're right, I'm gonna need your help again!"

I sigh and shake my head. "Chloe, have you really thought this through? Do you really wanna take photography as a minor?" She nods and looks deep into my eyes. I can see that she means it. I sigh. "Alright, I'll help you. But as soon as I realize that you fuck this up, I'll let you fall like a hot potato, 'cause I need this course, I don't wanna fuck up."

She nods again. "Thanks Max. I swear that I won't disappoint you!"

I smile at her. "I know. Sorry that I got angry."

"Maybe this new teacher isn't as psycho as Jefferson." A wryly smile rushes over her face.

And just now I remember that the names of the teachers are written on the schedules. I take the sheet and read the name. "Rita Bowinkle."

Chloe looks at me puzzled. "Funny name, do you recognize it?"

I shake my head and try to remember the names of some famous photographers, but nothing comes to my mind. "No, doesn't ring a bell."

"Huh, no wonder. What big ass photographer wants to be the successor of a psycho-teacher like Jefferson? I wouldn't."

By the name Jefferson I look at the time on Chloe's phone. "Fuck, Chloe. We need to get going!" We both pack our stuff, but before we leave the diner, Joyce gives us both a big hug again. She looks so happy and I can see that there is a bonding between her and Chloe again; a bonding that was lost for five years. And at moments like these I'm telling myself that all this suffering; all this pain and these bad memories; this whole torment, may have been worth to be gone through. Maybe this was the whole reason, why I got those powers. To safe Chloe, make her and her family happy again and punishing the bad guys in the process. Maybe I am a hero? Or is this just the good old silence before the storm?

The Arcadia Bay Police station is a classical brick-building in the center of the town. I've never been here, but Chloe's seems to know the exact way. I bet she's very familiar with this building, so it doesn't surprise me that she's even on first-name-basis with all police-officers.

"I see that you know everyone around here."

"Yeah, I already told you, I was very bad girl." She grins at me.

I smile back. "Not anymore!"

"Maxine Caulfield?" A police-officer walks over to us, I know him from the other reality; his name is Berry.

"That's me."

"Pleasure to meet you! Please, follow me to the interrogation room."

I exchange a look with Chloe. "Wasn't Chloe supposed to be the first?"

"Well, yes. But there has been some change of plans; so please, follow me." I look one last time to Chloe, she nods and I follow him to the interrogation room. Officer Berry opens the door and I enter the room.

In movies, interrogation rooms are dark and have only one lamp, a metal table, a pair of uncomfortable chairs and a false mirror on the wall. This room lacks every cliché. The table is wooden, the chairs seem to be quiet cozy, it is enlightened with sunlight and there is no mirror on the wall. I take a seat. On the opposite site of the table are sitting two men, looking at me with firm expressions; I feel rather uncomfortable.

"Miss Caulfield, I presume?" I just nod. "My name is Detective Miller." He waves his hand to the man on his left side. "And this is my partner Detective Borden." Who just nods one time. "How are you feeling, Miss Caulfield."

"Okay…I guess." I know that I should probably say something more, but this whole situation is very intimidating for me.

"That's good to hear." Still there is no smile on his face and his voice is monotone. "At first, let us bring the formal stuff behind us. Your name is Maxine Caulfield?" I nod. "You were born on September 21st, 1995 in Arcadia Bay, Oregon?" I nod again. "Your parents are Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield?" And another nod. "And you're a student at Blackwell Academy?"

I should at least try to say something to not look like a complete moron. "Yes." Detective Borden writes something on some paper in front of him.

"Alright. Miss Caulfield, before we begin, I have to ask you to tell us the truth at all time. If you lie or even try to cover another person, we will eventually find out and this means a lot of trouble for you! Are we clear on this one?" I just nod again, damn anxiety! "For our report and later revision we will record this interrogation." Thank dog, I'm not a suspect. I would've told them everything by now, just to get out of this room. "Miss Caulfield, please tell me, what were you doing in the restroom on Monday, October 7th?"

It is a stupid question, but I want this all to end as fast as possible and so I tell them the whole story, leaving out some parts concerning my time travel ability. Detective Miller nods the whole time and Detective Borden writes his notes.

"Did you know the suspect, Nathan Prescott, well?"

"Not that well, but enough to have a personal opinion about him."

"Hmm, this is strange. Mr. Prescott mentioned that you knew quite a lot about him as you confronted him on the restroom."

Damn it, Nathan! Why did you have to tell them everything? I need to come up with a good and scientific explainable answer or they'll send me straight into the loony bin. "I just said that to confuse him. By the way, everybody in this town knows something about him and his family."

"Even about the connection to Jefferson and the so called Dark Room?" This time it is Detective Borden who asks. Damn, in the movies they're never asking a witness such bullshit questions.

Both now look at me, waiting for an answer. Thank dog, this one week my brain got sharpened by playing CSI Arcadia Bay with Chloe. Maybe I should act a bit more annoyed to underline my answers. "Fine, I overheard a conversation between Jefferson and Nathan. I didn't understand everything, but the word Dark Room occurred and I just lucky guessed. Is it forbidden by the law to be nosy?"

Detective Borden writes again and Miller continues. "No, it's not, but this is some important information. When and where did this conversation take place?"

Fuck, another stupid question. Hopefully I don't get caught in my own web of lies. "Hmm, sorry, I can't remember. It was the week before, I think; in the classroom." I shrug; Miller nods.

Agent Miller takes a picture out of a folder on the desk and lays it in front of me; it's Chloe. "I take it, you know this person very well?"

This time I nod and say something. "Yes! She's my best friend."

"We know a lot about her, too. There is a whole file cabinet in this station filled with a lot of files about her. A typical troublemaker and coincidentally involved in one of the most outrageous crimes ever committed in Arcadia Bay."

Just out of instinct I startle. Is Chloe a suspect, now? "She's not involved in this!"

"How would you know? Before the incident you haven't seen her for five years, because you lived in Seattle. In the meantime, she became quite a criminal."

I hit my fist on the table to underline my words. "She's not a criminal. Agreed, she had some problems, but she would never harm anybody!"

Both of them are not impressed by my anger. "Her records tell us otherwise. She had a bar fight when she was 16. She broke one man's nose."

"Yeah, maybe. But probably this record states that she was under the influence of drugs. Those records only show her bad side, not the person she really is; the person I know; the person she's now." I have to control myself, not to cry out of anger.

"Please calm down, Miss Caulfield! We're not accusing her of being a completely bad person, but she committed some crimes and from our point of view it seems like she is a possible suspect in this case." He takes out another picture. "Do you know her?"

"That's Rachel Amber. I mean, I recognize her from the pictures and I know that she was murdered, but I never met her in person."

He takes out another photo. "And him?"

Frank Bowers! "No, never seen him in my life."

"His name is Frank Bowers, a local drug dealer. Your friend Chloe Price should know him very well." I nod. "This Frank Bowers delivered the drugs, which were used in these crimes and the murder of Rachel Amber. According to our investigation, he also had an affair with said Rachel Amber. Do you know how close Miss Price and Miss Amber were?"

Oh shit, I don't like where this is going. "They were best friends."

Miller nods again. "Some may even say they were even more or that Miss Price maybe wanted more from her, than Rachel wanted." I look at them with my eyes wide open. How do they know all this stuff? And before I came up with an answer, he shows me a letter; a letter that I found on the junkyard, too; a letter from Rachel to Chloe, in which she tries to tell Chloe about her relationship with Frank. "This letter was found in a building on the junkyard, where we found Rachel's body. It's written in her handwriting and indicates that Chloe didn't know about this relationship."

I stare at him, my anger rises. Are they really gonna accuse Chloe of murder? "And what are trying to tell me? That Chloe killed Rachel out of jealousy? That she worked together with Nathan Prescott?"

"That's one of our theories, yes."

"Then this theory is total bullshit! Yes, Chloe loved Rachel, but she never would've killed her! She hates Nathan Prescott. Have you already found out, that Nathan drugged and tried to abuse her? Why would she help him?"

"Miss Caulfield, Nathan Prescott is schizophrenic and mentally unstable. Maybe he just betrayed her, after she killed Rachel. Or he had also some interest in Miss Amber and wanted some revenge. We still need to figure out some details, though."

"Figure out some details?" My anger rises; boils in me. Oh no, I'm losing control again. "This story is such an illogical crap! Wouldn't it be more reasonable for her to kill Frank Bowers instead of Rachel? He was the one banging her and she owed him a shitload of money. Killing him would've solved two problems."

Miller just waves with his hand like he's wiping away a fly. "Frank Bowers was her main source for drugs; killing him would've run her dry."

How can someone be so blind and stubborn? I get even more furious. "Chloe would've rather killed herself than killing Rachel. And what is about Jefferson? He's the one responsible for all this. He pulled the strings. Why aren't you accusing him?" My eyes well up, I start to cry. All these bad memories are rushing into my head again.

The both detectives look at each other. "Until now, there are no evidences or clues leading to Mark Jefferson. We hoped you would give us some hard evidence, because you seem pretty sure that he's guilty." What?! No evidence on Jefferson? I know he's guilty, he kidnapped me. Fuck, if only I could tell them what I know. I feel so desperate again.

"What about the Dark Room? Haven't you found any evidence there?"

"To be true, so far all evidence lead to Nathan Prescott. But we know he didn't work alone, someone helped him and everything leads to your friend, Chloe Price."

That's it, no more being the nice girl. I instantly stop crying; pure anger rising inside of me and I let it out. The rage is on! Nobody blames my Chloe! My fist hits the table again, and the microphone jumps. "What idiot made you a detective?"

During the whole interview both kept a firm expression; now Miller's shows anger and Borden can't hide a little smile. "Miss Caulfield…"

"Shut the fuck up! The evidences are there, you just have to combine them instead of accusing innocent people of murder. I could've solved this case in one week." I and Chloe did it in under a week! "You wanna know some truth you haven't figured out yet? Mr. Jefferson is very intelligent psychopath; he made Nathan his scapegoat; used him to have full access to the Prescott fortune. He plays you, like he played everyone on Blackwell Academy. He blinded me too, until I saw his ugly true face."

"And under what circumstances did you see this face, Miss Caulfield?" Detective Miller gets more and more impatient. Shit, I run myself into a dead end. "Anything?" I stay silent. "Oh, are you speechless now?" Now he gets sarcastic, this son of a bitch! "You know what I'm thinking, Miss Caulfield? I think Mr. Jefferson gave you some bad grades and now you want to take the advantage of this situation and do him some harm; maybe ruin his reputation. How is this theory?"

He just grins at me victoriously; I'm so pissed! "Fuck you!" His grin fades; detective Borden just laughs out loud. "Can I go now?" I don't wait for an answer. I just stand up and leave the room.

Chloe comes towards me. "Max!"

I run to her and hug myself onto her as tight as it gets and start to cry. "Oh Chloe! I'm so sorry! I fucked up again!"

She brushes through my hair, comforting me. "It's ok, Max. Everything's gonna be ok."

Officer Berry touches her arm. "Come on, Chloe. The detectives are waiting."

She nods. "I'll be right back, okay?"

I stop her; she looks into my red eyes. "Chloe, whatever they say; whatever they accuse you of, be strong!" She nods again and enters the interrogation room; the door closes and I'm alone in the hallway.

For half an hour I sit there, still crying; waiting for Chloe to leave the interrogation room; hoping that she'll leave it without handcuffs. Officer Berry brought me a cup of coffee while I waited.

Suddenly the door opens and Chloe storms out of the room. Her eyes are wet and red from crying. She grabs my arm and pulls me up on my feet. "C'mon Max, we're out of here." Oh boy, she's definitely pissed, too.

Detective Miller tries to follow her. "Miss Price, the interrogation is not over, come back here this instant!"

Chloe turns to him and giving him the finger. "Fuck you, asshole! And don't you ever dare coming close to me and Max ever again!" Out of the room I can hear detective Borden's laughter again. We continue heading for the exit.

"This will have some legal consequences for you and Miss Caulfield!"

"Yeah? Bite me, douche-bag!" Chloe shouts it through the whole police station. Surprisingly the whole station cheers and applauds. Apparently, this Miller-guy isn't very popular around here; such a fucker!

Chloe drives us out of town; she said that she needs to get her head clear. Ten minutes later we arrive at the bottom of the cliffs of the Arcadia Bay lighthouse. The way up is hard, but I manage it, thanks to Chloe's help. Finally we arrive at the lighthouse and sit ourselves on the bench; watching the sunset. Chloe puts her arm around my shoulder and I lay my head on it. I still feel so guilty that I forced her to do this shit. During the interrogation I felt so helpless and desperate. I wanted to tell everything, but I mustn't. I'm damned to keep the events of this one week a secret and so is Chloe.

She breaks the silence. "I don't blame you, Max. You wanted to do the right thing and they just fucked us."

Still, my guilt remains. "I'm still sorry, though. You didn't deserve this."

She shrugs. "I know, neither did you."

"What are we gonna do now?"

Chloe shrugs with her other shoulder. "What else could we do? We gave them something to think about; hopefully they overthink their theories and let us alone in the future!"

"I hope so, too."

"Well, we've got four days before school starts, so I vote we use this time to raise some hell; to cuddle like there's no tomorrow and to make a road trip to Portland!"

I raise my head and look at her, smiling. "Sounds great, I always wanted to do that."

She smiles back. "No, you didn't." I punch her on her arm. "Ouch! Okay, you did. And what are we gonna do there? Just getting high seems to be out of the question, or isn't it?"

"Totally out of question! But we could check into a nice hotel, hit Powell's bookstore, shop some cool clothes and get me a cool Tat."

Now she looks surprised at me, one eyebrow up high. "What was the last one? A Tat?" I just nod. "Are you sure?" I nod again with a grin. "You know it's permanent?" And another nod.

"Stop talking me out of this, I'm old enough!"

"And what motive?"

I look into the sunset. "A blue butterfly."

"Why?"

"Because it is the one thing that brought us together; that binds us." I stand up and get the picture out of her wallet, giving it to her. Then I touch the blue butterfly on her sleeve-tattoo. "You see?" She nods. "This can't be a coincidence. It's the symbol of our relationship; of our love! And I want it to be a part of me, forever, like you are."

"Alright, a Tat it is. And what about some change of style?"

Now Chloe has caught fire, but I need to hold her horses or she'll transform me into a punk-chick. "Maybe, but first things first."

Chloe stands up too and cheers. "Whoohoo, this is gonna be awsomesauce! C'mon, let's pack some stuff and hit the road!" Before I even could say one word of protest, she grabs my hand and we head back to her truck. I'm so nervous, but also very excited. My first vacation with Chloe!


	15. Chapter 15: Portland

**Chapter 15: Portland**

How does it feel to get run over by a train? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I definitely don't want to find out; or did I actually find out? Everything hurts; my right arm, my stomach and even my butt. But worst of all, my head. It feels like it's gonna explode any second.

I open my eyes. The bright light that comes through the hotel room's window blinds me, making my head ache even more. I close them again. It takes me some time to adjust to the brightness. Now I try to turn my head, but that's also sending a stinging pain through it. I feel dizzy. Besides me lays Chloe on her back, snoring, totally naked, the blanket just covers her from the hip downwards. I try to get up. Did I mention the hellish pain that goes through my whole body? My head feels so heavy; I need to hold it with my hands. Boy, I feel like shit! Now I realize that I'm naked, too. I even lack the blanket. What the hell happened? And how did I end up in our hotel room? And what's with that bad taste in my mouth?

I need to focus; try to remember what happened; try to access yesterday's last memories. We left Arcadia Bay right after we packed some stuff and arrived at Portland around midnight; checked in at the hotel and went to bed. Yesterday morning we stood up late, cuddled a bit, had a nice breakfast at a doughnut shop around the block and went straight to the tattoo-parlor to get my tat. Chloe drew the motive during the ride to Portland while I drove her truck; that was fun and Chloe's picture of the butterfly was awesome! I look at my right arm; there it is, under some plastic foil, all wet and a bit bloody, but I can see that it'll look way cool after it's healed. But I remember the process hurt like hell. Luckily Chloe stayed with me all the time and held my hand. I asked her how she managed to get a whole sleeve-tattoo and she just gave me a simple answer: alcohol and weed. Typical!

After I got the tat we went to Powell's bookstore, getting me some new literature; I remember buying a photography-basics-book for Chloe. She wasn't too fond of that, 'cause she thought I was mocking her, but eventually I convinced her that I'm gonna take the whole issue seriously and meant it by heart as I got her this book. I hope she'll use it! Next point on our to-do-list was shopping some cool clothes. So we hit a store for alternative stuff. I got me some new shirts, pants and even a flannel shirt, like Rachel's. There was even a section for lingerie and Chloe wanted me to get some hot stuff, but I politely refused. It pissed her off a bit, but I think she accepted it in the end.

And now I've reached the point where my memories are getting all blurry. I remember it was already getting dark and I know Chloe needed a drink, so we hit a small bar, where they wouldn't check our IDs. She ordered a beer and I ordered…uh…I think it was a coke, but it seemed to taste funny, I don't know. Fuck, I can't remember what happened after that. I think I need to get up and splash some cold water into my face.

And there the train runs me over again, my head hurts like hell and I feel even dizzier, it's like I travelled back in time again. Panic overwhelms me. Did I do that? Did I change something again and I can't remember? No, it can't be. I swore to myself and to Chloe never to do this again, no matter the cost! I definitely need to get a clear mind!

I walk to the bathroom with small steps, trying to hold my balance. As I open the bathroom door the stinging smell of vomit and alcohol enters my nose. Instantly I feel totally sick; under normal circumstances that wouldn't be a problem, but in combination with my headache from hell and the dizziness I can't hold it anymore. I rush to the toilet and puke into it; with every wave my stomach hurts more and more. Eventually nothing wants to come out anymore.

I stand up again, flush and go to the sink, splashing me some cool water onto the face and flush out my mouth. As I look into the mirror I see that I'm not just feeling like shit; but that's not the only surprising thing I recon. OMG, I've got a dyed streak in my hair; an orange dyed streak! What the fuck did we do last night?! But I have to admit, this streak looks pretty cool. I wonder if there're some more changes I don't know of. It's just now that I realize that the pain in my ass matches the pain in my right arm. Oh no, please don't tell me I got myself another tat! I touch my right butt cheek and there it is, on the upper half; another plastic foil. I turn my butt towards the mirror to look at the mess and as I see the spiked heart with a banner that spells _Property of Chloe_ on it, I'm losing it. "Chloe!" Nothing. "Chloe!" Just a groan; I need to get louder. "CHLOE!"

"Whaaat?" Looks like I'm not the only one feeling fucked up, but I don't care.

"Get your ass in here!"

I can't take my eyes off this tattoo. I hear her standing up, groaning with every move. "What's the trouble, babe?" She stands in the door, holding her head like I did some minutes ago, completely naked like me. "Fuck, I'm so busted."

I point my finger at my ass. "What…is…this?"

She looks at it and then at me with a fake surprise. "I think it's a tat." As she looks into my eyes and sees the anger that dwells inside of me, she raises her hands in defense. "Alright, it's a spiked heart with my name on it. But hey, I got the same!" She turns around and shows me her butt, and there it is; the same tat, but this one spells _Property of Max_. Chloe realizes that this doesn't comfort me, so she crosses her arms. "It was your stupid idea, not mine! Now don't tell me that you don't like it, 'cause you're the one who convinced me to get it, too."

My anger dissipates. I did this? What the fuck happened last night? I look at her with concern. "Chloe, please tell me what happened last night!"

"You can't remember?" I shake my head. "Total blackout?"

"Chloe, please!"

She sees my concern. "Ok, sorry. Short story: we were drunk as fuck! I mean, totally wasted!"

I sigh in relief. No time travelling, thank dog! "But how? I didn't even have one drop of alcohol."

Chloe looks away, guilt in her face. "Well, this would be my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I kinda upgraded your coke with some vodka as I went to the restroom."

"You did what?!" That would explain the funny taste I remember.

"C'mon, it was just a prank and I knew you never were drunk before and I was kinda curious to see how you would behave. But I didn't want you to get a complete blackout; you just didn't stop drinking after that coke."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, Chloe!" How could she do this to me? The anger in me rises again, but I don't want it to take me over; I don't want to rage on Chloe, not during our first vacation. I take some deep breathes to calm down, it works.

Chloe takes a step towards me and touches my arm. "I'm sorry, Max! Really!"

"Just tell me, what else happened last night." I'm disappointed in her, but not mad. Some things may never change.

"Are you sure? I promise you won't like it."

"Just do it."

"Okay. Well, after you finished your upgraded coke, you ordered another one and after that you wanted to do some drinking games with me. I tried to stop you, but you seem to get very forceful when you're getting drunk. You even threatened to break up with me, if I don't get you another glass of tequila." Now I'm embarrassed, my face burns red. I slapped her, because she said the same to me and now I did this to her; bad Max! "And after you tried to table dance, the bartender threw us out. On our way back to the hotel we passed a late night barber shop and you suddenly wanted to dye your hair. Luckily, I could convince you to dye only one streak, using only one color and not everything. After this, you had the idea to visit all the shops we visited before, again. But not to get the same stuff, no. You bought some lingerie in the alternative-store; you let our butts getting tattooed and then we ate a shitload of doughnuts. And at this point I was so drunk that I agreed with everything. At 4 am I dragged you back into the hotel room. Right after I unlocked the door you stormed into the bathroom and threw up all over the place, hitting everything except the toilet, even yourself. So I undressed you; put you into bed and started cleaning up the whole mess. Well, that was our fucked up night."

I'm so ashamed of myself. I never thought I could've had such a fucked up behavior. "Chlo, I'm sorry."

"No, Mad Max. I need to be sorry. It was me, who tempered with your coke, I triggered this."

I smile warmly at her. "Maybe, but you didn't force me to do those things, I did it myself. You even stopped me from making it worse. I had no idea that I could become such a bad character."

"Me neither. It was kinda creepy. I don't like this dominant Max."

"I don't like her either. Please promise me, never to get me wasted ever again!"

"Got it!"

I shrug. "Well, now that we are clear on that matter, I think we better pack our stuff and head back to Arcadia Bay."

"Yes, we should do this…" Chloe suddenly becomes pale. "…but at first I need to do something else." She just finished the sentence as she rushes to the toilet and pukes into it, too. "Damn, I hate tequila!" And another wave. It smells really bad; I need to leave the bathroom or I'm gonna throw up again.

I get my camera and right after Chloe comes out of the bathroom I put my arm around her shoulder and make a selfie; we both look so shitty. I take a pen and write _Never again_ under it; it's a keeper for my diary.


	16. Chapter 16: Anger

**Chapter 16: Anger**

It took us more than 6 hours to return to Arcadia Bay, because we needed to stop every few miles. Damn, we were still so wasted and felt sick. I even managed to vomit into Chloe's truck. At first I thought she might kill me, but she just laughed and I cleaned up this mess all by myself at the next gas station.

Back at Chloe's house I just crawled into her bed, slept in and awoke the next day, still feeling sick. I'll never touch any alcohol ever again! Chloe took good care of me, brought me some food, stayed with me the whole time.

It's Sunday and I finally manage to get up by myself. First priority is to take a long, hot shower; the hot water feels so good and washes away the last remnants of this fucked up night. Chloe wanted to join me, but I told her that I need some time alone and she respected it. Thanks Chloe! As I return to her room to put on some clothes, she sits there, smiling at me, the lingerie in her hands.

She throws it over to me. "Put it on!"

I look at it and start to blush a little. "I don't know."

"What is there not to know? You fucking bought it, so let's get dressed and show me!"

She's right; I bought it, now I have to wear it. Hopefully my taste doesn't turn out as bad as my manners when I'm drunk. "Alright, but close your eyes!"

"Why? I've already seen you naked."

"Just do it!"

"Okay, fine." She lays her hands on her eyes. "There! Now, change!"

"No peaking!"

"Maaax!"

At first I just look at these pieces of underwear I've got in my hands and notice, they're transparent. Why should I've bought this again? Eventually everything sits on the right place. I feel so naked, so embarrassed. "Okay, you can look now."

Chloe opens her eyes again and looks at me a while; I fear that she might laugh at me any second now, but there is no laugh, no mock; not even a grin. She just stares at me with both eyes wide open. "Babe, you look so awesome!"

My face starts to burn again. "No, I'm not. I just look ridiculous. I don't even have the right body measures."

Chloe stands up. She hugs me for a long time. "No, Max. You don't look ridiculous, you just look hella gorgeous!" She kisses me. "Maybe it's not your ordinary style, but it definitely fits you." We kiss again, longer, more passionate.

I don't know who invented these sorts of clothes. It has no function, is very expensive and very uncomfortable, but I do know that it takes longer to put it on than to put it off, especially if your girlfriend's name is Chloe Price. So, what's the meaning of such lingerie? I think I'll never find out, but it definitely brought the wished results. Chloe was all over me in minutes and I couldn't even resist her. Damn you, lingerie!

We spent the rest of the day with preparations for tomorrow. My first school day after 3 weeks and Chloe's after 2 years. Chloe wanted to chill the rest of this, what she called, last day of freedom, but I pressed the book that I bought her in Portland into her hands and said, that she should read as many as she could, so she'll have some basics for tomorrows photography-class; hopefully it'll be enough. I did some studies myself and made the terrible mistake of taking a picture of my new tat, sending it to my parents. Mom made big fuzz out of it; a shitstorm is nothing in comparison. At first she wanted to blame everything on Chloe's influence, but after talking with her one hour on the phone and some help of my partner-in-crime, we were able to convince her that it was all my idea and my idea alone and that I'm old enough to do such things. Thank dog I didn't send them a picture of my other tattoo. I'm so thankful Chloe backed me up again. She's the best girlfriend you could wish for!

It's 6 pm now. A big bang goes through the room as Chloe throws her photography-basics book on her desk, followed by a big sigh. I startle and look at her. "Sorry!"

"What's wrong? Have you finished the book?"

She stretches herself and groans. "Max, I'm exhausted, my head feels like I ran through a wall and I'm fucking hungry. I definitely need a break." She makes a sad face. "I don't even know if I can keep all this crap inside of my head. It already feels like it's flowing out again. Maybe it was a pretty bad idea to try school again."

I go to her and stroke her head, looking deep into her eyes; I smile. "Chillax, Chlo. You haven't learned that much knowledge in years. Even I have my problems to keep all this crap inside of my head. But you're gonna make it! I've so much faith in you! Maybe you won't be a straight-A-student, but you'll make your way through Blackwell; we both will!"

She smiles back and presses her head against my stomach softly. "Thanks Max! I hope I won't disappoint you."

It knocks on the door and Joyce enters the room. "Here are my two favorite girls! I haven't seen you two in days! Getting ready for school?"

"Hi, Joyce."

"What's up, mom?"

"I just wanted to ask, how was your trip to Portland?"

We both look at each other. Chloe tries to answer in a nervous voice. "Well…it was fine." Wrong answer, Chloe.

"Just fine? This doesn't sound like your regular answer, Chloe." She focuses on Chloe and her expression becomes firm. "What did you do?"

"Nothing…really!"

Oh poor Chloe, she's blamed again, but it wasn't even her fault. I need to do something, before they both start to fight. "I did something."

Now Joyce focuses on me. "You, Max?" She smiles at me warmly. "What could you do wrong?"

I shrug. "For starters, getting us drunk and stuff."

Her smile dissipates. "You did what?!" She looks at her daughter again. "Chloe, please tell me that this is just a joke or something."

"Well, to tell the truth, mom, Max is right. But it wasn't her fault alone, we both did it."

I see how Joyce gets angrier every passing second. "God dammit! You both are under 21! You aren't even allowed to look at alcohol, let alone to get drunk." Oh shit, this is getting out of hand. "Max, I didn't expect this from you; I'm very disappointed. And Chloe, if you ruin Max's life by dragging her down your alley, we'll both have some serious trouble." This comment was definitely no fairplay. Now I'm disappointed in Joyce.

Chloe stands up, now she's angry too. "What the fuck did you mean with ' _my alley'_ , huh? I've changed, mom; you even said it yourself! And now you think I'm back to my old self, because I got drunk one more time or what?" A tear runs down her cheek. "I thought you wanted to support me; and now you tell me nothing's changed; that I'm still…fucked up?"

"No, Chloe, this is not what I meant. You just misinterpreted my words, again. I just want to protect Max." Me? Fuck, this is gonna get way out of hand. I need to intervene, before the shit hits the fan! But before I could do anything, Chloe continues her rage.

"Is it this what's all about? Is it always about Max? You wish she was your fucking daughter, am I right? You wish I was her, do you?" Chloe starts to cry. "Tell me mom! Do you wish Max would be your daughter, huh?"

Joyce tries to hold against it. "No, but…" I see that she starts to cry, too.

Chloe yells now. "Do you wish that I should've gotten shot in this fucking restroom instead of her?"

Anger rises in me again. That's enough! Now I need to be the one who yells. "BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!" They stare at me. "Are you two out of your fucking minds?"

"Max, stay out of this! This is not about you."

"Fuck you, Chloe!" That bought her attention. "This is all about me! Just hear yourself! You accuse your mom that she wants ME for her daughter and that you should be dead. Are you out of your fucking mind! This is such a puberty-teenage-rage-shit-behavior; I didn't expect this from you, not anymore." Now it's Joyce's turn. "And you Joyce! You freak out, 'cause we were drunk? Are you cereal?! Yes, we're under 21; yes, we weren't supposed to drink, but who fucking cares? We did it anyway and had hella good time! Getting drunk is an experience you make when becoming mature, and you should know it." Both of them now look at their feet; ashamed of their behavior. "Now get a grip of yourselves and apologize to each other!"

Chloe makes the first step towards her mom and both hug each other. "Sorry, mom! I didn't mean it. It was just…"

"It's ok, Chloe. I just said some really stupid things myself." They hug for quite a while and after they finished, Joyce turns to me. "I need to apologize to you too, Max. You're right, we behaved like two teenagers. Maybe I need to change a bit, too."

I smile at her. "Maybe a little bit, but not too much. Just give Chloe a chance to explain herself; listen to her, before getting angry. She has her flaws, but so do I. I'm not this nice, little girl you knew five years ago, anymore. I screwed up enough myself, even without Chloe's influence."

Now Joyce smiles again. "Oh Max, you're so right. Time flies by so fast, it's hard to keep track. One moment your little girl plays with her best friend in the garden; the next moment this little girl became a woman and her best friend's her girlfriend." She sights.

"Mom, now don't get too mushy or it'll get creepy." She shows her arm to her. "Here, I already got Goosebumps."

"You're right. Sorry. Uhm, I made some dinner for you two. Are you hungry?" We both nod. "I'll prepare the dinner table." She leaves the room.

I want to follow her, but Chloe closes the door right in front of my nose. "Dude, sometimes you scare the shit out of me."

I look at her; puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Did you just hear yourself?! Even my mom got scared and listened to you and she works in a diner. And this wasn't even the first time you got that kinda badass."

"I know, sometimes I'm scared of myself." To be true, I'm totally afraid of myself. This wasn't the first time I lost my temper. Sometimes I've got this feeling that there's some dark side inside of me; dwelling; waiting to come outside every time I got a little bit angry.

Suddenly I hear a snip, I look at Chloe. "Hey Max, are you alright? You look pretty zoned out. Is there something you want to tell me?"

I shake my head and fake a smile. "No everything's fine."

Chloe crosses her arms. "Fine? Last time I said this word nothing was fine." But then she just shrugs. "But I promised that I won't push you. C'mon, let's eat!" She opens the door and heads downstairs. I stay back, deep in my thoughts. I'm so scared about everything. Was it the right decision to change reality? Did all this mess gonna make me crazy?

After some minutes I follow Chloe and join her at the table. I remain silent the rest of the evening, thinking about the last few weeks; about what happened; about what I changed; and mostly about Chloe. This is becoming all too much for me. As we go to bed I cuddle myself into the blanked and start crying. Chloe spoons me, she knows that I'm not alright, but she doesn't want to push me, she understands. She just wants to give me the feeling that she's there for me, always.


	17. Chapter 17: School

**Chapter 17: School**

Monday, it's 8 am. The alarm of my phone chimes. Chloe still spoons me and starts to groan. "Max, please turn off this fucking phone, I wanna sleep."

I reach for it; turning off the alarm and push her away from me to get up. Mysteriously I'm in a good mood. "C'mon Chloe! Waky, Waky! Time for school!"

"Ugh, just tell them I'm sick." She covers her head with her pillow.

"On your first day?"

I start to poke her. "Stop it." I pull her blanked away. "Maaax!" I tickle her feet and suddenly she kicks out, hitting my left shoulder and sending to the ground with my butt first.

"Ouch!"

In less than a second she stands up and rushes over to me, looking worried. "Max! Are you hurt? Sorry, I didn't want to hit you. It just tickled and my reflexes…" I punch her arm. "Ouch!"

"Now we're even." She helps me getting up. Time for some mock. "Does it always need some violence to get you out of bed?"

"No, you should try sex next time. It works the same way, but is much more pleasant." Damn, she knows how mock back and I blush again. Chloe: one, Max: zero. "C'mon hippie, let's hit the shower."

"Alright, but the morning-sex is off the table for today."

"What?! Why?" She smirks and I grin at her victoriously, grab my stuff and head for the bathroom. "Not even a morning grope?" One point for Max!

After the shower and some Joyce-sponsored breakfast we get our stuff; Chloe even found her old school bag; and head for school.

Since Jefferson's out of commission and Mrs. Hoyda is still sick, my schedule has slightly changed. Our first class together on Monday is photography. As we arrive, most people are already in their places. They all stare at Chloe as she enters the room, making her feel a little uncomfortable. Victoria and her bitch-posse seem to be very offended by Chloe's presence; whispering at each other as we pass them. Even as Chloe sits down beside me, Victoria still looks at her with a firm expression; clearly hating her. I wonder if it's just because she doesn't like her style or maybe something else. I should ask her as soon as possible, because I want Chloe to be welcomed and not treated like an evil alien.

It's strange sitting in this room again after all those weeks. It feels like the beginning of this semester; my first photography-lesson. I was so nervous back then and now I'm again.

Kate comes over to our table, smiling at us. "Hi Max! Hey Chloe!"

Chloe even smiles. "What's up, Kate?"

Kate is as surprised as I am; short on words. "Well…school is up, I guess."

I need to rescue her or Chloe's gonna eat her alive. "Hi Kate! Have you seen our new teacher yet?"

She shakes her head. "No, I just wanted to ask you the same. By the way, nice color!"

I completely forgot that I still have a dyed streak. "Uh, thanks Kate!"

Meanwhile it is 10 am, the bell rings, but no teacher's here yet. Suddenly a punk-girl; more like an extreme version of Chloe; enters the room. Wearing a leatherjacket and ripped clothes; her big boots stomping on the ground with every big step. Her hair falls long on her left shoulder; the right side is completely shaved. It is colored green, with red and violet streaks. Every visible body part of her has a tattoo and her face is punctured with at least 25 piercings. She can't be older than 30. She throws her bag on the teacher's table with a big bang and turns annoyed to the class. "Shut it!"

It sounds more like the bark of a dog than a simple order, but it did what it was meant to do. Everyone takes their seat and the chatter stops immediately.

"So you're this bloody class I should teach some stuff about photography?" She has a light scratchy, but also nice sounding voice and a British accent. "How old are you fuckers anyway?" Thank dog I spent some time with Chloe or I would look as surprised as the rest of the class. Victoria puts her hand in the hair. "What is it?"

"We're a senior high school class and aren't you supposed to introduce yourself a little bit more to the class and try to curse a little bit less?" Victoria puts on her fake, but bittersweet smile. Oh fuck, this is gonna be a catastrophe! I just hope she knows her foe.

Chloe hits me in the side with her elbow; she grins all over her face. "This is gonna be great!"

"Alright, listen you cunt! First of all, I know less than shit about your bloody American school system; second, I don't give a rat's arse about your bloody opinion."

Victoria stands up. Her smile is gone. "This is outrageous! You're never a real photographer! I'll go to the Principal now and give him a complaint about your rude behavior."

Chloe still grins and enjoys the scenery. "Dude, why don't I have any popcorn? This is so amazeballs! I think I'm gonna like her."

I just look at this with some horror. Granted, Victoria can be a pain in the butt, but she doesn't deserve to be offended like that. "I'm definitely not. I think she's way out of line here."

The punk-girl just stands there, her arms crossed, not even intimidated by Victoria's threat. "Sit down, cunt!" Victoria literally falls back into her seat by the yell of her. "You think I'm no bloody photographer?"

Now Victoria crosses her arms, her face as arrogant as ever. "Yes!"

Our new teacher heads towards her in slow steps. "You think that I'm just an imposter?"

Victoria stays firm, staring right at her. "Yes!"

Now she stands right in front of her, bending herself down to look right into her eyes. "Well, your parents should know otherwise, Miss Chase." She speaks the last words very slowly. Victoria looks at her surprised. "Yes, I know your parents and their little Chase-Space in Seattle. I published some of my work there."

Now Victoria averts her eye contact; the arrogance is gone. "No, this can't be. I know every artist who did an exposé at their gallery and there was never a Rita Bowinkle."

Miss Bowinkle lifts herself up again. "No, there never was and never will be any Rita Bowinkle, 'cause I hate this bloody name. But maybe you heard of my alias?" Before she even speaks it out loud, her alias pops into my mind. Why didn't I recognize it earlier? Rita Bowinkle; Ri and Bow; Rebow!

Now Victoria is shocked, she looks at her and I know she had the same idea. "You're Rebow!"

Bowinkle grins; self-satisfied. "Yes, I'm Rebow and you're shitting your panties right now, aren't ya?" Victoria says nothing. "You're just as ugly and arrogant as your mother; thinkin' that you're better than anyone else, 'cause you've got a shitload of money. But here's some reality for ya; you're worth shit in this business, until you're able to show something. And this is also to rest of you…" Her view moves through the class. "…you're only getting some respect from me, if you show me that you're able to be a true photographer! Did I make myself clear?" Everyone nods. "Good." She walks to the front of the room. "Now get your gear out and show me what ya got." The whole class puts their cameras on the table. Rebow stops at Daniel's table and takes his sketchbook in which he just drew something. "What the bloody hell is this?" She goes through his sketches.

He answers in his Hispanic accent. "These are my drawings. I love to draw what I'm seeing."

Bowinkle throws his sketchbook back on the table. "These are rather good. But why are you drawing in my photography-class? You do know that this photography and not drawing, are ya?"

Daniel smiles at her, politely as always. "Yes, Miss Rebow. But drawing is my passion and I visit this class to learn more about taking pictures."

Her fist hits his table like a loud thunder and she yells. "I don't give a shit! This is a photography-class and we only take pictures with a camera. So, leave this fucking class immediately, 'cause you're wasting my bloody time!"

Daniel looks sad down to the floor and starts packing his stuff. This was mean and he's actually a nice guy, definitely not deserving this; I need to do something. Time to safe some butts, Super-Max! "But isn't taking a picture with a camera the same as drawing it with your hand?"

Rebow turns in my direction, looking at me, Kate and Chloe. "Who of you said that?"

Kate averts her sight in fear and Chloe has lost her grin and stares at me. I raise my hand; show-time. My mouth is dry and my heart pounds, like it's going to burst out of my chest. I need to focus to bring out my next words; holding against her pissed expression. "That would be me."

I know that I should look arrogant and superior, but I guess I only look like feared doe in front of a hungry wolf. She walks over to my table, slowly. Oh shit, she looks so pissed; I want to run away and hide in my dorm-room; my safe cocoon. Rebow slams both of her hands on my table so that the whole class jump scares; can't she do anything quiet? She leans over to my face; our noses nearly touch each other. The smell of cigs and weed crawls into my nose. The old Chloe would've found a good buddy in her. "What's your name, mate?"

Now I need to press out each letter. "M-Max Caulfield, Miss Rebow." Shit, I should've left out these last two words.

She grins at me. "Hm, Irish ancestors, aye? Well, you Irish slut, explain to me why these two forms of art are the same. If I'm pleased with your answer, he can stay at my class; otherwise you can help your fat friend over there, hauling out his ass."

Okay, Max. This is it. If you make it right, you can help Daniel and give this British bitch a imaginary slap into her face. Just now I realize that the whole class is staring at me; everyone seems to hope that I'm able to tame her. I wet my lips, thinking about everything I learned and read. "Well, if we take Salvador Dalí for an example…"

"NO!" She yells and slams her hands again on my table. "In your own words! No boring, historic examples; no citations of some bloody book! Your opinion! AGAIN!"

My own words!? How am I supposed to do that? I never wrote any books, even less I'm a big super-photographer; I'm just Max…No, I'm Super-Max and I'm gonna do it! "Both art-forms have one big similarity; this would be making pictures or images. The rudimentary form of making an image would be by painting it with bare hands and dirt. In the development-process of art we can see that with every technological development of human civilization a new form of art derived from it. From hand to stick, from stick to mosaic, from mosaic to feathers, from feathers to brush, from brush to stamps and pencils; and last, but not least from brush and stamps to exposure of photo plates via chemistry. In simple words; photography is related to all other forms of painting art, thus Daniel has the right to draw in this class, if it helps him to find his inner muse, therefor helping him making better pictures." I look at her firmly. Gosh, this was quite a lecture.

Rebow just grins at me and claps her hands. "Bravo, Max. Not bad." Did she just call me Max? No slut; no cunt? I may have hit a nerve there. "But I hope you're in a row, 'cause I want to know some more, before your friend can stay."

What, another question!? This is not fair! Okay, don't panic, Max! You can do it again!

"Now tell me the big difference between drawing and photography." Now she grins victoriously, thinking she's got me. But I'm better, I read enough books about photography; and even without citing them, I have the knowledge and gonna use it for good!

"The main difference is the time." Oh shit, did I just say that? Why has it always be about time? What about the fucking space? But not now; focus, Max! "While a painter captures the moment in his mind and draws it afterwards, giving the picture a subjective touch of his view, a photographer is able to capture the moment nearly instantly; without any abstraction or distortion. It's like the photographer captures the truth."

Everyone stares at Rebow and she just stares at me. Did she buy it? "Well, well, well. Seems like, there's still some hope for this pile of shite in front of me. Okay, I gave you my word and you're fat friend can stay; I hope he shows you some gratitude for what you've done, 'cause from now on I have high expectations in you." Oh, he already did, by making me his muse in the other reality. Daniel looks over to me and smiles all over is face; I just nod and smile a bit back. Maybe he'll make me his muse after all? "And this may be an example for all of you! Give me your own opinion; show me what you got; earn my respect and maybe I'll start to like you…maybe. Now, cameras out; time for the first test: your equipment."

Chloe claps on my shoulder. "That was awesome, dude! You're the smartest person on this fucking planet."

"No, I'm not. I just got lucky with my answers…and your proximity gave me hella strength!"

Rebow walks from desk to desk; examining everyone's camera, mocking some students in the process. Finally she arrives at Chloe's and my desk. She looks at my camera. "Hm, instant-cameras; never got used to them, but if you've got a lot of talent, you can make pretty good photos with this shite. Now I've very high expectations in you, Max." How comforting. Then her look goes to Chloe's empty side of the desk. She looks at her, puzzled. "Oi, mate! Where's your camera? I told you to put it on the desk!"

Shit, I totally forgot that she doesn't have any camera or equipment. Hopefully she can save herself from this dragon by playing her punk-bonus. Chloe's still relaxed; that's at least something. "Well, I kinda don't have a camera…yet. But I'm gonna get me one as soon as possible and shoot some awesome pictures with it!" She puts as much confidence as possible in these words. All I can do is cross my fingers that it worked.

Bowinkle just stares at her, her face is firm; there's no other expression. Good sign or a bad one? Now don't make any false moves, Chloe!

But she does. "But, until then, I've got my phone; and it has a camera; and I can take some pictures with it." I can literally hear as the whole class face palms themselves mentally, me included. Oh Chloe, why have you just done that?

As I look in Rebows face I can see that something snaps inside of her and before anyone could even realize what is happening, she takes Chloe's phone and smashes it against the wall behind us. Bits and pieces get scattered all over the place.

"Dude, my phone!" Now Chloe isn't relaxed anymore.

Bowinkle grabs her by the collar of her leather jacket and lifts her up from her chair, bringing her face to face. "DO YOU WANNA FUCK WITH ME?"

Chloe's face now becomes angry and I know that this is gonna be bad! "Take your fucking hands off my jacket, bitch!"

Rebow is not impressed. "Or what? Do ya wanna beat the bloody crap out of me? Do ya wanna go all punk on me? Look at yourself! Do ya think just because you have these fucked up clothes, this bad attitude, a tattoo and some dye in your hair, you're a punk?" She doesn't even wait for an answer. "No! You're nothing! You've got a home, live in a small town, and go to a private school; you never even lived on the streets of a city for one bloody day. You just took this role, 'cause of some puberty shite; not because you want to live it. And now, I tell you one thing: the dream is over! You're not a punk and definitely no photographer. Now get the bloody hell out of my class!"

I see how Chloe's eyes are getting wet. Rebow releases her and she grabs her stuff and leaves without another word or gesture. "Chloe!" I get up myself and want to follow her.

Bowinkle looks at me, still a lot of anger in her eyes. "And you stay right where you are or you can stay out of here, too!" I stay where I stopped and look out of the window, seeing Chloe walking away. Damn, I hate this fucking bitch! "Now that we sorted out one wannabe photographer let's tighten the net. The next test will be about your talent. Some of you wanted to show me their portfolio, but I don't want to see your greatest bloody hits, I want to see one example! You have until Friday to show me one picture of yours that represents your style and talent. If it pleases me, you're in, if not…well, you saw what I did with that cunt! Tomorrows lesson is canceled, 'cause I need a break from all of you and you need the time to find a pleasant photo." The whole class stares at her. "What? Stop eyefucking me and get the hell out of her, will ya!" Everyone stands up and leaves the room in silence. But I stay, 'cause I need to talk to her in private. She stares at me. "What is it now, Caulfield?"

I cross my arms. "We need to talk about Chloe."

"Who?"

"The false punk you just threw out of class."

"There's nothing to talk about, my decision is final, so fuck off!" I stand up and walk right in front of her before she has a chance to leave. Now she looks very pissed. "You are starting to fucking annoy me, Caulfield."

My expression's still firm. "Oh, I hope I am, 'cause I won't fuck off until you hear me out!"

"You know I could still throw you out of my class, do ya?"

"Yes I do and I frankly don't fucking care, 'cause if you throw me out of this class without a good reason, I'll go to principal Wells and since I'm the so called…" And I quote it. "… _Hero of Blackwell Academy_ , he'll ask you a lot of questions and in the end he's gonna demand that you take me back into the photography-class. That's how it's gonna be, sister."

I know that I should've left out the sister-part, but I'm so pissed right now that I don't care about her reaction. She still looks at me, but suddenly a smile grows on her face. "You've got some lady-balls, Caulfield, I'll give you that. Okay, what do you want?"

It worked! At first I can't believe it, but going all Chloe-style on her actually did work. Okay Max, you're halfway through. "I want you to give Chloe another chance."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Because there's more to her than it seems. She has talent and she can do it. Maybe she's not the type of punk you know; maybe you despite her for what she represents, but she's definitely a punk at heart and that should count!"

"That's all very bloody nice and on a depressing day I might shed a wee tear, but why should this convince me to take her back into class? She has no camera, no decent equipment and as far as I can tell, not even a picture that's worth of showing me. So, give me one reason, girl!"

Fuck, she's right. I could tell her everything about Chloe, but nothing of this is gonna get her back into this damn class. So I need to set the stakes higher. "I can't give you a reason, but I want to make a proposal."

Now her smile turns into a grin. "A proposal? Now we're talking business. Let's hear it." Gotcha!

"I want you to give me and Chloe a chance to get her a camera and a decent photo until Friday. If we do it, you let her back into class."

"And if not?"

"She's out and I'm gonna accept it."

Her grin gets wider. "Not good enough for me, Caulfield. You have to give me some more!" What, some more?! What else does she want? "I'll make it easy for you, before you're bloody head explodes. If she fails, I'll throw her out, that's for sure; but I also want you to be gone and you're gonna accept it! No bloody moaning, no fucking principal."

I look at her, shocked. "W-What, why?" Bravo, Max. You choose the best words to bargain with.

She gets closer to my face; our noses nearly touch each other, again. "Because you royally pissed me off. So, what's it gonna be…sister?"

This damn bitch turned my proposal against me; I can't believe it! But I've no other choice; I'd give everything for Chloe, even my scholarship. I shake Rebow's hand. "Deal!"

Now she just seems happy. "Alright, we see us on Friday and I can't wait. Maybe you should use the time to search for an alternative class. Bye, bitch!" She grabs her stuff and leaves the classroom and I'm alone. Damn, this could've gone better, but I got her to give Chloe another chance to proof herself. Now I better get going and try to find her, 'cause we got hella work to do.


	18. Chapter 18: Kiss

**Chapter 18: Kiss**

The difficult thing about finding Chloe is that she has a truck and could be anywhere in and around Arcadia Bay by now and to make things even harder, her phone is broken. Before I left the classroom I tried to pick up as many parts of her phone as possible, but I think it's pretty busted. At first I need to go to my room and grab some stuff before starting my search. I know that I've some classes to attend to, but Chloe is far more important and Kate's gonna give me her notes to catch up the missed stuff.

As I enter my dorm-room I nearly jump scare, 'cause there she is; sitting on my bed, head down. I see some drops on her boots; she cried, but I'm so happy to see her!

"Chloe!" I sit down beside her and give her a big hug, but she doesn't even bother to hug back. She's been hurt bad by Rebow's words, that's for sure. "Chloe, I'm so sorry! I should've supported you, but…"

"Who am I, Max?"

Now I just look puzzled at her. "What do you mean?"

She raises her head and looks at me. I look into her red cried eyes. "Who am I? Am I really nothing?"

"No, you're Chloe Price! My badass Punk-Chloe! My captain!" I try to brush over her wet cheek, but she just turns her head away.

"No, I'm not. You heard her. I'm nothing. Not a punk, not a captain, not even a photographer; just nothing."

"Do you really believe this bitch's words?"

"Yes! Yes, I do! And you wanna know why?" She doesn't wait for an answer. "'cause I've achieved nothin' so far. The last five years I spent taking drugs, hanging around bad places and tried to play bad-girl. I did nothing. I am nothing. I mean, look at her. She's a fancy-pansy photographer, teacher and by the way a real punk-girl. And now look at me!"

That's enough, now I'm pissed off by her depressive mood! "Yes, I look at you; and yes you're not like her. Maybe she's a hot-shot photographer and a teacher and maybe even a real punk. But she's also very rude, hates students and has an even worse attitude than you tenfold. She's a real bitch, worse than Victoria and her bitch-posse combined. You really wanna be like her? Are you cereal?" Chloe looks away. "Granted, you're last five years were fucked up, but now we're gonna change that, together! I love you for who you are and not for what she expects you to be!"

"I know. And I'm thankful for that! But what should I do now? She threw me out of her class and without photography I won't have enough credit points."

Now is the time for some cheer-up. "It is not over yet!"

She looks at me in unbelief. "What do you mean? Did she change her mind?" I tell her about the deal I made with her. At first I thought Chloe would make some jumps and just be happy, but with every word her expression becomes even more worried until she shakes her head. "No Max! You go to her now and call off the deal."

I look at her with both eyes wide open. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to be the sucker, who fucked up your career. I know, you meant well, but this is too much to ask."

"No, it's not. This isn't about you and me anymore. Bowinkle's gone havoc on the whole class, offended everyone and wants to throw out as many students as possible, destroying their dreams in the process. She needs to be tamed and if we pull off this deal and show her that, excuse my language, someone like you can be a photographer, then maybe she backs off and shows some more respect to us."

She nods. "Hmm, makes sense. But how are we gonna do it? Finding a camera and shooting an awesomesauce picture in less than four days is gonna be hella work."

"I know. And we'll have a tight schedule. Today, right after school, we're gonna hit Mitch's photo-shop in town and get you a camera. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow we need to think about locations and shoot some awesomesauce pictures. On Thursday, we develop them and choose the one and only. Friday, we're gonna make her pay!"

Chloe grins. "And after that, world domination!"

I grin back. "Right!"

She puts her arms around my neck and smiles. "I hella love you, Max!"

"You're getting cheesy, Chloe!"

"Hella cheesy." She leans over to me and we kiss.

Suddenly the door opens. "Max, I want to talk with you about…what the…?" It's Victoria and she just caught us kissing. Fuck!

Chloe and I stare at her. Our both faces get red, mine because I blush and Chloe's because she gets angry. "Haven't your parents taught you to knock before entering, bitch?"

At first Victoria just stands there. Then she takes out her phone and makes a picture of us, still holding each other arm in arm. "Oh, this is gonna be great!" She has a vicious smile on her face.

I shake off my shock. "What are you doing, Vic?"

She doesn't even bother looking at me, doing something on her phone. Now Chloe gets up and walks towards. "Hey bitch! She asked you something and I'm interested too!"

She just waves with her hand, still not looking at us. "Oh, just wait a minute, please. I need to post something on my FB-account and the all Blackwell Academy mail accounts."

Oh no, she's gonna make our relationship public! "Victoria, no!"

"Woops, too late." Now she looks at us, still this damn smile on her face.

"You fucking bitch!" Chloe tries to jump at Victoria, but I manage to hold her back.

"That's right, little Chloe, stand down!" The sarcastic tone of her voice drives me nuts and even for me it is hard to suppress the need to punch her right in her pretty face.

"Just leave, Victoria!" I try to be reasonable; try to calm down the whole situation. I can feel that Chloe is really pissed.

"And why would I do that?" Is she cereal?

"'cause you've done enough and I'm not sure how long I can hold her back; so, it's for your own safety."

She laughs out loud. "My safety? Oh believe me, Max, I'm totally safe, because she can't hurt me, unless she wants to be thrown out of this school." We both stare at her. "Yeah, that's right, I know about your little deal with Wells." How does she know? Who told her? "Oh, don't bother your little heads; I have my sources."

"What do you want?" My voice is cold as ice. I'm ashamed that I felt sorry for her in class, after Rebow raged on her. Now I know she deserved it.

"Well, simply put, I still want to work with you; but, since you brought HER, I can't do this. So here's the deal, you get rid of her and I'll delete the post and won't send this email." This suggestion is so absurd. I don't know what to say. "I know, it's a little bit harsh, but if you want to make a career, you'll have to decide; me or her. I can bring you to the top list, but she's only a humping dog on your leg."

Again Chloe tries to hit her; I barely manage to hold her. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here, you ugly piece of shit!"

I just shake my head. "I thought you've changed, Victoria. I thought there's a reasonable part inside of you; a friendly, but insecure person. But now I know that you're just a mean, selfish bitch! Rebow was right about you and now you can go and fuck yourself!" I put my arm around Chloe's waist to underline my statement. She belongs to me, like she's a part of me and if it means the ruin of my career, so be it!

Now Victoria shakes her head. "Max, Max, Max…and I thought YOU were a reasonable person, but you're still a child, dreaming about love. There is no such thing as real love, not when it comes of being a big artist! Rachel recognized it after a while." Oh no, Victoria. Please don't go there! "Y'know, even though I didn't like her, she told me at one of our parties that she wanted to ditch her blue-haired friend and go to LA all by herself, because said friend dragged her down."

"That's not true!" I hear that there is more than just anger in Chloe's voice, now. If I don't stop this, things may get out of hand big time!

"Stop it, Victoria!"

She just shrugs. "Why should I? She needs to know the truth that she's just a sore loser, who holds back everyone. She even got herself thrown out of class today; her first class as I recall. Rachel realized that she's no good, why can't you see it?" Every time Victoria mentions Rachel, Chloe twitches; tears are running down her cheeks now. My anger rises and again, I feel the need to punch her; she's such a fucking bitch! And as I thought that she can't get any meaner, she raises all expectations. "Maybe Rachel wasn't murdered; maybe she even killed herself to get away from this humping dog!"

That is the moment when something inside of Chloe snaps. She starts to scream. "SHUT UP!" Before I could hold her back, she hits Victoria with full force in her pretty face, sending her back tumbling out of the still open door until she lands on her butt.

She sits there, staring at Chloe and holding her nose. Blood drops out between her fingers onto the floor and her Gucchi-sweater. Now her voice is muffled, but not less poisoned. "You're gonna regret this, Price!" She stands up, a little uneasy on her feet and walks straight out of the dormitories; and I know exactly where she's heading.

Chloe still stands there, her body's shaking. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Chloe…"

She doesn't turn around, her voice is cold. "She deserved it, Max. And I'm not sorry about it."

I just nod. "And I fully agree with you." Now she turns her head to me; I shrug. "Well, if you wouldn't have hit her, I would have, eventually. She crossed several lines there, and even surprised me with her evil attitude."

Chloe hugs me. "I'm just sorry for disappointing you, Max. I tried, but now I'm gonna get thrown out again. Maybe it's for the best. I never would've fit in here anyway."

These words totally surprise me. Does she really think that less of herself? Sometimes I feel the urge to hit her, too. I grab her shoulders and shove her a bit away from me to look directly into her face. "NO! You're fitting in here and I'm gonna take care that you're staying at Blackwell! Why do you always think so less of yourself?" No answer. "Do you wish that persons like Victoria or Bowinkle are right about you?" She shakes her head. "Chloe, there are so many people who believe in you; me, your mom, David, Kate, even Principal Wells. Now let's show them that they're right and the others are wrong!"

Chloe shrugs. "I'd like to. But how are you gonna convince Wells to let me stay here at Blackwell? You heard him, one mistake and I'm out. And this was a huge mistake."

I start to walk around my room. "I'll think about something."

"Well, better think fast, Super-Max. 'cause I give us less than five minutes before we're called to the principal's office."

The public speaker cracks and the distorted voice of Principal Wells is heard. _Miss Price and Miss Caulfield, please report to the principal's office. I repeat, Miss Price and Miss Caulfield, please report to the principal's office. Thank you._

"Hmm, only two minutes. He's gotten faster. I hope you've some hella battle-plan ready, Miss Caulfield."

And suddenly a plan comes into my mind. I slam my fist against the wall. "FUCK!"

Chloe looks at me, totally surprised and shocked. "Are you alright?"

As I look at my hand it's already red, slightly swollen and has some scratches. Phase one, completed! "Yeah, I just needed to let out some anger." Hopefully Chloe won't get suspicious, 'cause I need her unknowing of my plan for now. "C'mon, let's go!"

She holds me back and I look at her. "Now that our relationship is finally public, do you mind holding hands with me?"

"Are you getting mushy now, Chloe?"

"No, but I need something to hold on during my final walk as a student and you're my first choice!"

I smile at her. "Of course I'll hold your hand. I always wanted to do this in public and show off!"

"Me too."

We grab our hands and walk out of my room, heading for the main building. During the whole time people stare at us; whispering and talking. At first it feels strange; kinda unpleasant; but with every step further I care less, until I completely ignore it. As we reach the Principal's office it almost feels natural for me and I hope for Chloe too.

The door is right in front of us, we both stare at it; I feel the fear in both of us. "Well, here we are. Any last recommendations, attorney Max?"

"Just act normal and don't worry." I lay my arms around her neck and give her a big kiss. Again I feel the looks of the people around us, but now I don't care. Everything feels right now. "And this one's for good luck!" I haven't even noticed that Debbi already stands in front of us, staring a hole through our bodies; speechless. "Hi, Debbi!" I walk pass her, dragging Chloe with me, who is completely zoned out from that kiss. Phase two, completed.

"Miss Price, I thought I made myself very clear as I told you that I would investigate every rumor and misbehavior coming from your side. Now, not ten minutes ago, Miss Chase arrived at my office, her face covert in blood, telling me you hit her." Victoria sits on a chair in front of the principal's desk, she looks at us; Wells himself stands in front of the window, looking out of it. Now he turns and focuses on Chloe. "Miss Price, this is your first day on Blackwell since two years and there's already an incident with your name on it. But, as I already told you, I'm a fair person and I give everyone the right to explain himself. So, tell me, what happened?"

Now comes phase three of my plan and I hope that Chloe is still a bit zoned out enough. "It was me, not her."

Everyone now looks at me. Chloe seems to know what I've planned and remains silent. She squeezes my hand. Principal Wells raises one eyebrow; he's definitely not convinced, yet. Victoria jumps onto her feet. "This is a lie!" Showtime!

"Miss Chase, please take your seat again." Victoria sits down again, anger on her expression. "Miss Caulfield, I hope for you that you don't lie to me just to protect Miss Price! So, I'll give you a chance to take this statement back, now." I remain silent. "Well, then tell me, why would Miss Chase make such false accusations concerning Miss Price?"

Sorry Victoria, you brought this all upon yourself. "Because she hates Chloe and wants to get rid of her and she saw this as the perfect opportunity, because of Chloe's past, everyone would've believed her. She also knew about your arrangement with her, concerning the probation."

Wells looks at Victoria. "Is this true, Miss Chase?" She says nothing, just averts is view. "I believe this silence speaks for itself. Now, Miss Caulfield, what would be the reason for you to hit a fellow student?"

I know that Victoria deserved the beating, but I try to look ashamed of it; it's very hard, 'cause as I recall all the mean things she said, my expression changes into an angry one. "She provoked it, by making Chloe's and mine relationship public without even asking us. Then she bullied Chloe by telling her that she's stupid and didn't belong to Blackwell. And finally, she was the one, who put the viral-video of Kate Marsh online. All this summed up and I couldn't hold myself anymore. I'm sorry." The last two words were hard to say. I see in Victoria's face that she already regrets to have told the principal about the incident, but she's not gonna get down without a fight.

She stands up again. "This is outrageous! Principal Wells, this is all a lie, I'd never…"

Wells interrupts her. "Miss Chase, I already told you to sit down!" She sits down again. "These are very serious accusations and if even a part of them are true, I'd be very disappointed in you and would've to take some action against it!" He looks at me again. "Miss Caulfield, have you any evidence to confirm these accusations?"

Luckily Victoria made one big mistake while making our relationship public. "Just check your Blackwell-email-account, there you'll find an email with a picture of me and Chloe. You may also check her FB-page." While Mr. Wells searches the evidences on his computer Victoria gets paler every second.

"Miss Chase, is this your Facebook-page?" He turns his monitor to us and there it is; the latest entry with the picture of Chloe and me; along with a very hurting comment. _New lezzy-action at Blackwell, featuring ugly punk-bitch and selfie-hippster-girl._ Again I feel the urge to hit her pretty face. Victoria says nothing. "Miss Chase, I'm very disappointed in you. You we're supposed to be a shining star on this school, but this is just…I can't find a word for this." He stands up from his chair and walks to the window again, looking out of it. "Miss Chase, when I was at your age, people like me, people with a different skin color, weren't welcome at schools like this one. I needed to work very hard to get a scholarship for college and later for university. During my whole school time I had to hear such sentences like _you don't belong here_ or got bullied just because of my color. It was a very hard time and a lot of my friends didn't make it; they couldn't take the psychological pressure. And I swore myself to make a stand against any form of discrimination or bullying." He turns to us. "Miss Chase, I'll have to start an investigation concerning you and these whole accusations Miss Caulfield talked about; especially concerning this viral-video of Kate Marsh. I'll also have to inform your parents about this and make an entry into your file." Victoria just looks at her hands. She knows that she has lost. "But I'm not finished, yet. It's still open, who hit Miss Chase. And to be true, I don't believe you, Miss Caulfield, because I know you would cover for Miss Price, especially now that I know there is a deeper bond between you two. Have the both of you any hard proof it was really you, Miss Caulfield?"

I knew that Principal Wells wouldn't only take my word for it, so I prepared myself for this moment. "Yes, this here." I show him my injured hand. Now I hope he doesn't want to see Chloe's hand, too.

He sits down on his chair again and leans back. "Hmm, I think I'll have to apologize to you, Miss Price. I really held you responsible from the start on and I was wrong. As for you Miss Caulfield; I understand, it can be very traumatizing to get shot, but it doesn't make this violent act right. I'm very disappointed in you, too; regarding that everyone here sees you as a hero. I'll also have to inform your parents about this and give them a recommendation regarding you to visit a psychologist to prevent such violent outbreaks in the future. If there aren't any further requests we're finished here. Except Miss Chase, because we're going to have a very serious talk. Miss Price, Miss Caulfield, you're dismissed."

We leave the office and the building. Chloe stays quiet all the time, but I'm just lucky my plan worked out very well; except this stupid report to my parents, but I'll manage to calm them down again. We sit down on a bench, facing Arcadia Bay and the ocean.

We both stay silent for some minutes, until Chloe breaks the silence. "Max, I need you to stop this."

I look at her; she looks somewhere at the horizon and is very serious. "What do I need to stop?"

"I need you to stop putting your ass on the line for me every time I fuck up, 'cause one day it'll bring you in hella trouble."

"But…"

She disrupts me. "I know, I know. You do it, 'cause you hella love me, and because I'm your first priority and so on and so on." It sounds very mean and I feel a bit hurt. Suddenly, as if she reads my mind, she turns her head and looks directly into my eyes. "Max, I'm very thankful for everything you've done for me, but you also told me once that I need to grow up and stop being selfish. But how am I gonna be fucking able to do this, if you always take the heat for me? I'll have to start taking responsibility for my own actions, with all consequences or otherwise Victoria would've been right about me."

Now she doesn't make any sense to me anymore and I just look puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Max, one day your plans to safe me will backfire on you. The last times you were very lucky. But what if, someday, you take the blame for me again and then get thrown out of Blackwell, ruining your career in the process; or even worse, get killed? It would've been my fault; I would've to fucking live with it; living with the fact that Victoria was right about the fact that I would fuck up you and your career. And I don't want this! I want you to be a bigshot photographer!"

Anything makes sense now. I was too selfish myself to realize how much I forced her. I wanted her to change; I wanted her to be successful; I wanted her all to myself and at my side. I never asked her about what she wanted. I feel so ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Chloe!"

She brushes my cheek, wiping away one tear. "Don't be, Max. I know you meant well. And I owe you big time for everything. But from now on, let me take my own responsibility, 'cause I'm a big girl now!" She smiles at me and I smile back. We kiss each other again and this time it feels totally right.


	19. Chapter 19: Pictures

**Chapter 19: Pictures**

Right after school Chloe and I hit the town and went for Mitch's photo-shop. Mitch Morrow is an old man with grey hair, glasses, a goatee and a wool-sweater; a typical oldschool photographer and I know him since I was a child and started with photography. And if someone is able to give Chloe the right camera, it's him.

The first time I entered the shop, right after I was back from Seattle, I instantly felt like being back in my childhood, because it hasn't changed a bit. It still looks old and dusty; vintage camera models, covert in a patina of dust, standing in the window and the stitching smell of chemical components for the development of photos goes right up your nose. If I could, I would stay here forever, but then I would be alone with Mitch, because Chloe doesn't seem to like it in here. Her first comment is _What a shithole._ Sais the girl, who lived for years in a pigsty.

After I kick her leg and she groans in pain Mitch comes out of the door behind the counter and smiles as he sees me. "Max! Already out of instant-film?"

I shake my head. "Hi, Mitch! No, I'm actually looking for a camera for my friend here."

Mitch looks at Chloe and she waves her hand. "Hey Mitch, 's up?"

He brushes his goatee. "Hmm, a camera for her? Does she has any preferences or developed her own style, yet?" We both shake our heads and he smiles. "Oh, this could be a challenge; luckily I like challenges! C'mon girl, we've got to find you a camera. What's your name?"

Chloe walks slowly to him; she's a little unsecure. "Uh Chloe…Chloe Price."

"Price? Like in Joyce Price?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Nice gal, like her very much. Never knew her daughter is such a beauty." Chloe blushes. I can see that she feels very unpleasant. "Her late husband, your dad, was a good friend of mine; very funny guy; god may rest his soul. But I'm drifting off topic. Well kid, let me take a closer look at you." He walks around her, brushing his goatee again. Chloe looks at me, totally puzzled, don't knowing what to do or what to say; I just shrug with my shoulders. After some _hmm_ and _uh-u_ he walks off into the back of his shop.

"What the fuck, Maximus? How's this crazy guy gonna help me finding a cam?"

I clap on her shoulder and smile, reassuring. "Maybe he's a bit awkward, but he's a genius when it comes to photography. Have faith!"

Mitch returns with a load of camera-bags in his hands and starts to unpack them. "Here Chloe, take this one." He hands her some vintage reflex camera. "Just imagine taking some shoots with it. How does it feel?"

At first she's totally overwhelmed by the situation, standing there with the camera in her hands, doesn't know what to do with it and I can't suppress to laugh. She looks at me angry, but finally manages to focus on the situation. "I don't know…strange."

Mitch walks around her again. "Hmm, alright. Then this isn't the right one. Let me give you another one."

"What the fuck are you doing?" Oh shit, Chloe loses her patience.

But Mitch keeps calm. "I try to find a camera for you." But he feels Chloe's doubts and explains. "You see, there are two ways, finding the right camera. The first way is to find it by yourself; like Max did. But this way takes years of experience and experimenting, because you need to find your style and frankly, you don't have anyone, yet. The second way is to let the camera find you; and this is what I'm trying to do here. It's a very complex process; I need to analyze your character and your preferences, trying to foresee your future style." She's still not convinced. "Let me explain it to you. You have a punky character. Punks are hard, rough, have some edges, give a shit on everything; so your camera has to be that way. Look at this one, for example." He shows her one the cameras. "It has edges, you can see some mechanic and metal; it doesn't look that pretty, but you don't give a shit and it's oldschool, like your clothes."

Secretly I hope that Chloe isn't offended by his words, but this concern is gone as she nods. "Okay Mitch. Gimme the next one!"

He smiles and hands her over the next one, but it isn't the one either. One hour later, he still hasn't found the right camera and a feeling of desperation hangs above us all, like a shroud. "This is awkward; I always found the right camera for everybody."

Chloe shrugs depressed. "Well, obviously I'm a hopeless case."

"No! I've one try left." He leaves for the door behind the counter.

After ten minutes Chloe comes over to me. "Y'know, this whole thing here reminds me of a movie I watched with Rachel some time ago. I can't remember the title, 'cause we both were high as fuck and it was in Spanish language, but I recall it was about a boy with glasses and magic."

"That movie would be _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ and no, you won't be getting a magic wand."

"Aw, bummer! Wouldn't it be great to have supernatural powers? I could turn Bowinkle into a pig and…" I just look at her, seriously. She knows right away that she just hit a wound spot. "Sorry! Supernatural powers are bad and I just shut up now."

Mitch returns with another camera and hands it over to Chloe. "Here, try this one." She takes it and in a blink of an eye I can see, it fits her.

Chloe agrees. "Wow, this one's amazeballs!"

I take a closer look at the camera. "Whoa! Chloe, do you know what camera this is?" She just shakes her head. "It's a Zeiss Ikon Contarex with Planar objective; one of the best vintage cameras built in Germany."

She just shrugs. "So what? It looks cool and I can handle it." Oh Chloe, Bowinkle would've ripped your heart out for this comment. Hopefully Mitch takes it with humor.

And he does and laughs. "I knew it! There's some spirit of William inside of you." We both look at him. "Yes, this was your father's camera. He was into photography, too. He bought this camera when he was at your age."

"It must've cost him a fortune, 'cause these cams were pretty expansive in the US."

"Actually no, Max. He bought it for ten bucks on the flea market; it was broken and in bad shape. He brought it to me and we repaired it with some spare parts; took us quite some weeks; but with some trial and error and an old German instruction we did it."

"So why didn't he hold on to it?"

"Because of you and your mom, Chloe. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with his family and sadly gave up photography; but I respected it, 'cause family is important. He sold it to me in exchange for 500 bucks for your college-fund and an instant-camera for future family pictures."

Chloe looks sad at the camera. She must feel like shit right now, 'cause she used some money of said fund to buy drugs. I lay my arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "I'll take it, Mitch."

He smiles and nods. "Never thought otherwise. Sadly, I can't give it to you for free, 'cause old Mitch needs some bucks to keep the shop open and actually I spared this camera for bad times." This sounds pretty bad, because saving for bad times always means for a shitload of money.

Chloe just looks at him firmly. Obviously she didn't expect it to be a present. "How much?"

Mitch brushes his goatee again. "Well, 'cause it was your dads camera and because I like you, I'll sell it to you for 400 dollars."

"Can you give us a minute, Mitch?"

"Sure."

Chloe grabs my arm and we go to the other side of the shop. "Is this a decent price for this cam?"

I look at her seriously and nod. "Yes, this is a very good price for it. If he wanted, he could charge you 1000 dollars for it and this would still be cheap. There are people out there, willing to kill for such a camera."

She looks down at her feet with a sad expression. "I don't have 400 dollars, Max. I need my entire fund to pay school and mom and David have their own fucking debts to pay."

"I could borrow you the money."

She shakes her head. "No, you couldn't; I won't allow it. It's my camera, I choose this class, and I'll have to take responsibility!"

We both stand there, looking sadly on our feet, trying to find a solution for the problem; suddenly Mitch stands behind us; gosh, I hate it when people do that. "I'm sorry, but I overheard your conversation and luckily have a solution for the problem."

We both look at him. "No Mitch, I can't take this camera for free."

He laughs again. "What? The hell I'll give it to you for free. But there is a way for you to pay for it. You just work it off."

Chloe looks pretty surprised. "Work it off? But I know shit about photography."

Again he just laughs. "I noticed that, but I need someone to clean this shithole, as you called it. Last time it was cleaned, your parents weren't even born. So, what do you say?"

I look at her and nod. She breaths in deeply and nods too. "Okay, we have a deal."

Both shake hands. "Great! How about you start this Saturday?" Chloe nods. I'm so proud of her that she even takes a job; her first job; to pay off the camera. "And I'll give you these for free." He hands her over two rolls of film. "These are monochrome films, they'll fit your style; colorful on the outside, black and white on the picture."

And then comes something I'd never expected; Chloe jumps forward and hugs Mitch. "Thanks Mitch!" As fast as she hugged him she releases him again and leaves the shop. "See ya on Saturday."

I just shrug with my shoulders. "Sorry for that; too much emotions for one day. I better follow her. See ya, Mitch."

He laughs out loud. "No problem. See ya, Max!"

As I leave Mitch's photo-shop I see Chloe sitting on a bench nearby; looking down at her new old camera; and prepare myself to comfort her. So I approach the bench slowly, trying to think about any possible situation. "Chloe?"

She still looks at the cam. "Have a seat, Pete!"

I didn't expect this one. Is she actually happy? "You seem to be in a good mood?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"I don't know; maybe, because you left the shop so quickly, trying to suppress some tears?"

She shrugs and smiles at me. "Yeah, but these were tears of joy. I mean, look; I've got a cool cam and it even was my dad's! So, that's one big facial for Bowinkle! It was just too much emotion for me and I hate crying in front of other people; except you, maybe."

I smile back. "I figured that; and thanks for the trust in confidence."

"Max, I cried more in front and because of you, than in my whole fucking life. You made me total mushy." My face turns sad. Did I mess her up? Does she hate me for this? But Chloe still smiles at me and lays her hand on my shoulder as she sees my expression. "And I don't mean it as an accusation! I think I need to be a little bit mushier…but not too much. And no, I won't get as cheesy as you."

We both start to laugh and I can't keep it to myself to mock her a little bit. "But you're almost as cheesy as I am."

She instantly stops to laugh and comes closer to me; looking me directly into the eyes and the first thought that comes into my mind is that I overdid it. "No, I'm not!" And then she smiles again and gives me a kiss. "I'm just hella in love!"

Now my smile turns into a grin. "Cheeeeesy!"

She just backs away, her expression sour. "That's it, Caulfield! No mushy-time for you tonight!"

Gotcha! I'm getting rather good at this. "As if you could endure it, Miss Horny-as-fuck." She just stands up and leaves me behind, without saying any other word. Oh shit, I really overdid it now. I follow her, trying to stay by her side. Damn those short legs! "I'm sorry, Chloe. I didn't mean to…"

"So, what's next on our list?" What, she just ignored my apology and changed the topic? I really must've overdone it.

"What?"

She suddenly stops and I almost collide with her. She looks pretty pissed. "What is the next step in your great plan to save our asses?" And sounds pissed too. The last time I saw her this way I took a call from Kate instead of leaving the diner, resulting in her having a fight with her mom. She didn't speak to me the whole drive to the junkyard.

"Are you sulking?"

"No." That was a short, but obvious lie.

"Yes you are! You're sulking, 'cause you couldn't mock me back." Now I'm getting pissed, 'cause she's acting like a child again.

"No, I'm sulking, 'cause I told you that I love you and all you do, is mock me again." And another lie.

"No, Chloe! You would've done the same! You just can't accept the fact that you've gotten a bit cheesy." Oh shit, I feel the anger inside of me rising again. I need to calm down, before I start a fight. I take a deep breath in and sigh. "I'm sorry, ok? I overdid it and didn't want to hurt you. Just…"

Suddenly she hugs me. "I'm sorry too, Max. Fuck, sometimes I'm acting like a fucking child!"

I squeeze her closer to my body. "Me, too." I like to feel her warmth and after such an argument I'd love to hug her forever. Damn, I'm really a lot cheesier than her.

"Ok, down Max!" She releases me. "Now, let's talk bidness. What's up next?"

"Well, next we're gonna shoot some photos."

"And how are we gonna do that? A little 1-0-1 would be great!"

I just remind myself that Chloe as no idea of how to make artistic photos. "Okay. Firstly of all, you keep your camera always at your side, 'cause you'll never know when the perfect moment presents itself."

Chloe nods and salutes. "Roger that!"

"Secondly, always take the shot! Don't think, just trust your feeling and shoot. You got that?"

She nods again. "Check!" Then she stares at me, like she's expecting some more.

"That's it."

Now she looks puzzled. "That's it? I thought you gonna show me how to find my style and taking the perfect picture and shit."

"Chloe, you have to find your style on your own; nobody's able to show it to you. I'm just gonna assist you finding a good location, teach you some essential stuff on the fly and most important, figuring out, how your camera works."

"Right." She takes out the manual, it's written in German. "Can you read German?"

"Uh…Bratwurst?"

"So, that's a no. Me neither. Fuck!"

"There has to be an English manual online, hence these cameras were also exported to the US."

"Okay, then let's go home and search the web. And after that, we gonna shoot hella lot of pictures!"

The last two days we spent every free minute to shoot pictures, visiting a lot of places in and around Arcadia Bay. I taught Chloe everything I know about photography; she listened and found a lot of good motives. But the important thing was that she had a lot of fun, though it was very exhausting.

It's Wednesday evening and we're doing our homework. I'd hoped that on our first week in school the teachers would cut us some slack, but they gave us a shitload of homework instead, to catch up the missing stuff of three missed weeks. Chloe sits on her desk over her Math homework and I try to study biology.

Suddenly Chloe throws her pencil to the other side of the room. "Fuck! This sucks! My head and my ass are hurting like shit and I can't solve this fucking equation. I hate Math!"

"I hear ya. I think we should call it a day and go to bed."

She looks at me with eyes wide open. "What?! Max-geeky-Caulfield doesn't want to finish her homework and wants to go to bed instead? Did I miss something?"

I know she mocks me, but I'm too exhausted to mock back. "Yes, you heard right. The last two days we hiked through the whole Arcadia Bay area; my stomach, my legs and my head are hurting like hell and I'm just tired of this photosynthesis-shit." I take my biology book and my notes and throw them to my other stuff in the corner. "Fuck biology!"

Chloe smiles and stretches herself. "Alright, let's hit the sack! Maybe I want to do some biology-studies on you."

Maybe she's got enough strength left, but I definitely have not and so I look seriously at her. "No way! I'm too tired and tomorrow we need to develop your photos and need to figure out which one of our best pictures we're gonna show Bowinkle. And besides, we've got some classes. Sorry Chlo, no mushy time tonight!" Her expression becomes sad, but I withstand her; take out my pajama and start to change. As I take off my bra I hear the click of a shutter. Oh no, she didn't.

Automatically I cover my breasts and turn around, seeing how Chloe puts down her camera with a wide smile on her face. "That's a keeper."

My look at her is pure anger. "Chloe! What the fuck?"

She just shrugs. "What? Chillax, it was the last photo of this film and you looked pretty good. Don't worry, it's for my private collection and it only shows your back; no boobs. Promised!"

The anger fades a bit. "Next time, just ask before doing such things. Okay?"

She salutes again. "Got that, Major Max!"

I continue changing and leave Chloe's room without saying another word. I know I can trust her and that she didn't want to hurt me. But I'm still very uncomfortable, if someone shoots a picture of me without asking, especially if I'm naked. Damn Chloe, sometimes you're so fast-forward doing new things in our relationships that I can't keep track.

After I made myself ready for the sack, I return to Chloe's room. As I enter I see something I'd never expected. I don't know why, but I already figured out that with Chloe there's no routine, no normality; she just surprises me every day anew. This time again.

She lies on her bed, her whole body towards me, dressed in lingerie I've never seen before. It's black and also transparent like mine. I know I should be pissed right now, 'cause I already told her that I don't want some mushy time tonight, but instead my body reacts different. My hands are getting all sweaty, my heart starts to beat faster and I need to gulp. My mouth is dry, but I manage to speak. "Chloe, what the hell?" Damn, she looks so hot! Did I already mention that I hate lingerie?

She just puts on a seductive smile. "Hi Max! How do ya like my dress?"

"I…uh…" Shit, why's my voice failing now?

Chloe stands up and walks over to me. Fuck, this is bad. "How about some mushy time now?" She puts her arms around me and we kiss.

"You're such a mean bitch!"

She just smiles victoriously.


	20. Chapter 20: Self-destruction

Chapter 20: Self-destruction

Developing pictures is a very expansive and, in case of vintage photography, a necessary process. It's a part of photography, but sadly it's a part that Chloe doesn't like. As we finished Chloe's pictures it's already 8 pm and raining cats and dogs outside, so we decided to stay at my dorm room overnight.

Chloe's pictures are spread out over the floor as we try to find the one and only picture for Bowinkle. And this is gonna be a hard piece of work, 'cause Chloe's pictures are surprisingly very good.

"Wowser, Chloe. Some of these are pretty good. I have to admit, you've got talent!"

She smiles wide, swelling her chest with pride. "Thanks Maximus! Well, which one is the one?"

I just shrug. "I don't know. It's gonna get tough to choose the right one. Let's see…" Suddenly my phone chimes. As I look at the massage my heart drops and my good mood is completely gone. "Shit!"

"What is it, Max? You suddenly look so pale. Bad news?" She looks worried at me.

I nod. "It's a massage from my mom. She just read Wells' letter and now demands, again, that I should return home. The only choice she gives me is whether to take you with me or not."

"Fuck! I told you this was gonna happen sometime; your plan backfired at you." She stands up and walks around the room.

"I'm sorry."

She stops in an instant and looks at me pretty pissed. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, this is not gonna help you!" It's hard for me holding back another apology. "Dude, gimme your phone!"

I look at her surprised. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm gonna save your bony ass for a change. Now, give…me…your…damn…phone!" I hand it over to her with some hesitation, 'cause last time she had my phone she altered my online-profile, ending in a fight. "Stay! Be right back!" She leaves the room and I'm alone, thinking about a lot of negative possibilities that could happen right now.

To distract myself I continue going through Chloe's pictures. Damn, some of them are even better than mine. She even found her style already: destruction and decay. A broken bench, a car wreck, animal bones and abandoned places. She definitely processes her past five years in these pictures; her self-destructive behavior. I suddenly feel like crap again, 'cause I'm the one who caused this and I'm gonna hate myself for it, forever. Under all this fantastic pictures I find another one that surprises me; it's the one showing me, undressing. Normally I'd like to throw it away, but I can't, 'cause it looks too good; like a professional nude photography. Damn you, Chloe! Seems like you're also good at nude photography.

I don't know how much time has gone by as Chloe enters my room again and throws over my phone. "Here, your ass is officially saved and stays at my side!"

"What did you do?"

"Well, simply put, I told your mom the truth." My expression tells her that I'm not satisfied with this short answer. "Y'know, that I hit this bitch, why I hit her and that you took the heat for me to keep my bum at this school. That truth."

"And what did she say?"

"Well, she thanked me for calling her, clarifying everything; that this bitch deserved a beating, and that you should never do this again, not even for me! And here's some fun fact: she's gonna visit this so called Chase-Space and give some introduction to this bitch's parents!" She puts on a mean and vicious smile. Sometimes Chloe can be really spiteful.

I stand up and give her a big hug. "Thanks Chlo!"

"Don't mention it; you saved my sweet behind ten times more." We separate again and I give her a kiss; now she smiles warmly. "Well, let's return to our pictures, 'cause Bowinkle's the next one, who's ready for some ass kicking."

"Right! During the time you were away I've been through all of your photos, but I couldn't decide which one we should take, yet."

"Have you already chosen one of yours?"

I shake my head. "No."

"Damn, and it's already so late and I'm fucking tired."

"Hey, don't bail on me now! We need to do this, 'cause we won't have time for this tomorrow and we need to do this right. Although, it was your fault, we didn't get enough sleep last night. Where the hell did you get these clothes anyway?"

She grins at me. "You were not the only one who hit the lingerie section in a drunken state. But I bought it on purpose!"

"You're…"

She disrupts me. "I know, such a mean bitch. Now, let's concentrate on the pictures or we're gonna sit here until morning." She's right and just as I want to resume she comes up with a plan. "Hey, maybe we should split the work! Y'know, I choose your picture and you mine."

At first I don't want to agree with this plan, but on the other hand she's right. If we go through all of our pictures together and discus which one to choose, we would sit here for some more hours and I'm tired, too. And eventually, I trust Chloe with all my heart, so I nod. "Yeah, we could do that. So, let's get to work!"

She just grins at me again, grabs in her pocket and takes out a picture. "Okay, then you should submit this one." She shows me the picture that I took of her on the cemetery, as we visited Rachel's grave.

My expression contains of surprise and unbelief; I almost forgot that I took this shot. "This one? But…"

"No but, Super Max. This one's the best chance you have. And you know why?" I just shake my head. "Because I know characters like Bowinkle. You know what emo-punks hate the most, except any other persons?" And again I shake my head. "Themselves. I looked over all your favorites while you were on the shitter, and to tell you the truth, I don't think she would be impressed by selfies and nature shots. Mourning and depression is more her thing. And this one radiates the feeling of sadness and loss."

I take the photo with some hesitation, but deep down I know she's right. Chloe just selected this photo by making a psychological analysis of Bowinkle. "Alright, Dr. Phil. I'll give her this shot. Nice argumentation, by the way."

"Thanks!" Her grin gets wider. "Now it's your turn. Take your time while I prepare myself for the sack."

"I hope you brought your own toothbrush this time." Although we kiss each other, I hate it when she uses mine. But before she gives an answer she already left the room; leaving me alone with her pictures. Nicely planed, Chloe.

Again, I go through all of her pictures. It's really hard to decide which one's the best, though there's one favorite that's better than the rest; a picture that's definitely gonna save Chloe's hindquarters, but at what price? I look at it again and make my final decision; this is the winner!

Meanwhile Chloe returns. "So Max, how's it comin'?"

"I want you to submit this picture."

She grabs it out of my hand, surprised I already chose one and looks at it. Her face shows pure unbelief. "What?! Are you cereal?" She never used _cereal_ before, so this is serious, but I just nod at her; blushing. "This shot was never meant for this."

"I know, but it needs to be."

"Why? Is this some I-put-my-ass-on-the-line-for-Chloe-shit again?"

"No, I've my reason."

She shrugs. "Okay, you lost me. Why this one? Tell me!"

"You said it yourself, Bowinkle is an emo-punk; she hates everything; she's pure self-destruction in person; like you were some time ago. And I can see this destruction in all of your other shots, so these wouldn't impress her either, but this one…" I point my finger on the nude photo. "…this one will show her your talent. You know why?" Chloe shakes her head and I grab one of my books, open a marked page and hand it over to her. "Because Rebow started her career with nude shots like this one, so there's a chance she might find something of herself inside of this shot and maybe even inside of you; something that might connect you both, so she'll cut you some slack."

Chloe nods in agreement. "Alright, Professor Max. It's your call, so I'll do it. But we need to make a copy for me, 'cause this nude shot's kinda turning me on!"

Oh no, not again! I need to intervene! "Please open the next page."

"Ugh!" Chloe shakes in disgust and throws the book to the ground. "Okay, now I'm hella turned off. Let's hope I get those pictures out of my head soon or our sexlife will be gone forever."

Without another comment and a mean grin on my face I grab by toothbrush and head for the bathroom. The only thing I can think about right now, is that we chose the right pictures and tomorrow everything's gonna be fine for good.

For the last week I was free of nightmares. Might it be, because I was too exhausted from school and all the other shit that's going on or because I hadn't had any time to worry about something. But this night I had the worst nightmare since I left the hospital. I dreamt about the storm, Jefferson, me losing Chloe again and the Dark Room.

As I wake up it's still dark. Chloe's desperate voice, screaming my name, still echoes inside of my head. I wipe some sweat off my forehead. Why can't these dreams just disappear? I look beside me and see the back of Chloe's head; sighing in relief I try to calm myself down. Everything is fine; Chloe's save beside you. Suddenly I hear a sob. Was it real or just another figment of my dream? Then another sob and it comes from Chloe. Is she crying? Maybe having a nightmare, too?

"Chloe? Is everything alright?" No answer, but another sob. "Chloe?" I touch her shoulder.

"It's nothing, Max. Just sleep on, I'm okay."

At first I'm just relieved to hear her voice, telling me that everything is fine. But sadly, I don't belief her, 'cause Chloe Price normally doesn't cry; at least not without a major input and mainly when she's too angry to just yell. I turn her around, her face towards me; I can see it in the orange light of the lanterns outside the window. "Chloe, don't lie to me. Something's bothering you, I can feel it. Please, tell me."

She sobs again. "It's just…this is all too much for me. School, this damn test tomorrow, our relationship, the changes…I…fuck." Her voice falters and she starts to cry harder. I put my arm around her neck and give her a big hug as she continues crying. After some time she calms down. I don't need to say anything, 'cause I understand her and she knows it. We separate again and she continues. "Max, for five fucking years I lived some pathetic, little thing I called my life. Everything was simple; no emotions, no stress, no homework; I lived from day to day, giving a shit about anyone and anything else; it was just old Chloe and nothing around. And all of a sudden my best friend comes back from Seattle, saves my life in a fucking restroom and changes everything. Suddenly there are emotions, love, other people and even school with all its shenanigans."

"…and all these emotions and changes were just too much."

She shakes her head. "Nah, that things I can handle, even the stress isn't a real problem. But I'm afraid, Max. The whole time I'm afraid I could fuck this all up; that I may disappoint you and anyone else. It's so much pressure and I almost can't take it anymore. I'm hella scared about tomorrow's class that I couldn't sleep the whole night. My head is full of negative thoughts, fears and doubts. I…I…" She sobs again. "Please hold me, Max!"

I hold her tight in my arms, while she cries again. I know how she feels. My whole life's always been full of self-doubts; the fears of failing; selling myself short. "Don't worry, Chloe! You're…No, we're gonna make it. Since I've been together with you, again, I became more confident about myself. I felt the same way before, but now I belief in myself, just because of you!" The crying stops and she looks at me, unsecure; I take her hand. "You always told me how smart I am; that I'm an awesome photographer; and that I can do everything. And now I'm gonna telling you the same! Be brave, you can do it! You did it so far, so what's to worry about? Tomorrow, we're gonna rock Bowinkle's world and she can suck it!"

Chloe wipes of her tears and sobs one last time. "You're right! Fuck Bowinkle!" The good old Chloe is back. "Sorry for freaking out."

I shake my head and laugh; just relieved she's fine again. "Don't be, it happens. Welcome to my world. Now, we should get some more sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be hella day, so we need some rest."

"Yup, you're right again. But I've one last request."

One last request? Oh Jeez, please don't be horny now, Chloe. This would be so wrong. "What is it?"

"Could you cuddle me into sleep, please? It always makes me so sleepy, when you spoon me."

I could facepalm myself again, for thinking such bullshit about her. Now she deserves a lot of cuddling. "Come here, you queen of mushiness!" At first I thought she might be offended by it, but she just smiles and not even ten minutes later she's snoring like a bear. Well, at least one of us continues to sleep.

Its 7 am as the alarm of my phone starts to chime. I reach with my arm over Chloe's head to my nightstand and turn it off. Chloe still snores. At first I try to wake her by brushing her neck, but all she does is to wave her arm behind her, slapping me right in the face. So I put my foot on her back and with all my strength I shove her out of my bed. She screams as she falls out of it, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

She sits up, looking slightly pissed at me. "Ouch! What the fuck?!"

I just shrug, grinning at her. "Well, you once gave me two options for waking you. You didn't want to cuddle, so I used some force."

She rubs her ass, which hit the ground first and I feel a little guilty hurting her. "Hmm, we definitely need to work on that."

"Yes we do." Instantly I change the topic. "We need to get ready!"

Luckily, at this time in the morning all showers are empty so we don't need to share. Not that I would've mind to, but it's still a little awkward for other people if two girls come out of one shower. After we showered Chloe goes to the cafeteria to grab something to bite for us and I finish preparing our pictures. We're eating our breakfast in silence, 'cause we're so nervous. The silence continues as we make our way to the classroom.

As we arrive it's still ten minutes before the bell rings, Bowinkle is already there, preparing the overhead-projector. She still looks pissed, but slightly different than the first time; like she'd loosen up a bit; but no good morning for us from her side. The rest of the students entering the room stop their conversations right after seeing her. Damn, she left some impression. The bell rings and so our little game begins.

"Well, well. At least you learned to shut it." She marches to center of the room, everyone looks at her. It's totally silent and she savors the first fruits of her reign of terror, with a little victorious smile. "So, today we're gonna take a look at your best shots. We're going to have a look at your style; at your talent; if there's something like this in one of ya." Her sight wanders the room and stops at the empty space, where Victoria's originally seated. I haven't even noticed that she's not here and instantly wonder where she could be. She never missed class before. "Oi, bitch-posse!" She looks at Courtney and Taylor. "Where's your Uber-bitch?"

Both look at each other, like they don't know who of them should answer her, until Taylor does. "You mean Victoria Chase?"

Bowinkle rolls with her eyes. "No, I mean Victoria Beckham. Of cause I mean Victoria Chase, dumbass!"

Courtney takes over. "We haven't seen her all morning. She doesn't even answer our calls."

There's definitely something wrong with Victoria. But what could it be? Before I could get into deeper thoughts, Bowinkle continues, shrugging with her shoulders. "Well, one amateur less to worry about. Maybe she shit her panties and ran back to her mommy. However, this is how it's gonna be today: I'll call out your name; then said fucker comes over to me and hands over his/her photo. We look at it together; I give my opinion, if you're in or out and that's it. I promise, most of you won't satisfy me, so it's gonna be the classes bloody effort to convince me otherwise. Got that? And since school board orders me to give grades instead of just throwing you out, I'll give you grades. So, fun for everyone, ey?" Everyone nods again. She claps in her hands. "Well, then let's get started. You there, with the funky hair." She points at Evan. "You're the first one."

So it begins. Picture after picture is presented and Bowinkle kept her promise, nearly everyone would've been thrown out of class, if it were for her opinion only. Luckily she seems to be in a good mood and gave the whole class the chance to save each other by changing her opinion with another sight of view. Most of the grades are Bs and Cs; not one A so far, even Evan's just got a B, which bugs him totally. After one and a half hour only three students are left: me, Kate and Chloe.

Next one's Kate. With shaky hands she hands over her folder with her picture in it. Bowinkle gets it out and projects it on the wall. It show's an old woman in a wheelchair, looking out of a window. The sun enlightens her white hair; it radiates the readiness to die; to accept the inevitable; but also hope, hope for an afterlife, hope to see your loved ones again. I need to suppress a sob, a tear runs down my cheek; the whole class remains silent, even Bowinkle. After a moment she takes off the photo and gives it back to Kate, only saying one word. "Passed. A." Kate returns to her seat, clearly relieved and happy. Well done, Kate! She did it, she just hit Bowinkles inner core with a sad picture, like Chloe foresaw it.

Again, Bowinkle claps in her hands. "And now to my two favorites. I spared you two for the very end." She says it with a big grin. "Price, you're first, 'cause if you fuck up, we won't need to see Caulfield's stuff. So, let's go and bring your camera, if you have one!"

I lean towards her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck!"

Chloe smiles at me, insecure, stands up, the camera in her hand, and walks over to Bowinkle. At first she inspects her camera and whistles. "Wow, nice piece of tech. Alright, first test passed; and now your picture." She hands it over to her.

The seconds she needs to lay it on the projector, are flowing like cold honey. My hands are totally cold and sweaty; not only because it can be over any second now, but also because everyone's gonna see a nude shot, with me in it. And then it's on the wall, felt fifty times bigger than the original; it's just now I recognize that you can see my dyed streak and even my new tattoo in it. So everyone will know that this is me and that I've got a tattoo. I start to blush. Even Kate looks over to me, I look back, trying to force a smile and she instantly looks away again and starts to blush, too.

Bowinkle just grins clearly amused. "Well, that's a new thing." The whole class stares at it, some look over to me, other start to whisper to each other. "Does anyone know what this kind of shot is called?" Oh, she's definitely enjoying this.

Before anyone could answer, Chloe takes the initiative. "It's a nude." Nicely done, this gives some points!

Bowinkle nods. "That's right; a nude." Her sight wanders over to me and she grins even wider, devouring my embarrassment. She knows that it did cost me a lot of willpower to let Chloe submit this photo. Maybe it isn't more a grin than a smile of confidence; maybe she respects what I've done for Chloe. She continues. "It's one of my favorite processes in photography. Actually I started my career with nudes. They're very popular in Europe, but here in the US of bloody A they're often misinterpreted as erotic-shots or even pornography. Granted, there is a thin line between those processes, but what's the difference?" She looks at Chloe again. "Hopefully you're on a row, Price!"

Oh boy, that's mean. Our only hope now is that Chloe read the book I bought her in Portland a little bit more. She clears her throat. "The difference between a nude and erotic-shots is the highlightening of a particular part of the body by the play of light and shadow." Very good, Chloe! I just hope Bowinkle is satisfied with this answer.

She just stands there for a while, no change of expression, like she's thinking about, if this answer's correct. Then she surprisingly nods. "Not bad. Short, but not bad." Bowinkle takes the picture off the projector and hands it over to Chloe. Her expression is firm.

Chloe looks at her in expectation. "Does this mean I'm in?"

She sights and nods one time; giving in her defeat. "Yes, this means you're in…and got an A."

Chloe jumps into the air, overflowing with happiness. "Hell yeah! I did it! I'm in…I'm in…I'm in!" She rushes over to me, lifts me out of my seat and yells into my face, shaking me. "I'm fucking in, Max! And even got an A!" And then she presses her lips onto mine, giving me a big kiss. I'm totally overwhelmed, not knowing what to do or to say.

"Oi, take a room for such shite!" Bowinkle fist hits our desk. "Caulfield, get your tongue out of her and move your arse over here!" I know in the meanwhile whole Arcadia Bay knows about our relationship; still it is an awkward feeling kissing Chloe in front of the whole class. I hear whispers again. We separate and I walk over to her, still a little dizzy from this kiss, and hand her over my folder. She takes it and puts my photo on, projecting it to the wall. Right after the picture is shown Bowinkle covers her eyes with one hand. "Oh fuck, not another one."

She doesn't say it out loud; it's more to herself, but instantly doubts are awakened inside of me. Does she dislike my photo? May it even be that I'm gonna fail and Chloe remains in class without me? The whole class went silent again; nobody's saying one word, not even a tiny sound. It's literally like on a cemetery. Some heads are down; I hear a sob; see how Kate she buries her head in her hands and starts crying. Chloe's face is without any expression. I can see that she's in deep thought. To give me this photo for submission must've cost her some strength, too. Hopefully Bowinkle is gonna give her some credit for this!

I look at Bowinkle and for a short moment I see a twitch on her lips and some wetness on her eyes, until she presses them tight together and breathes in and out deeply. "What's wrong with you Americans? I expected some cliché shots, like a doe on the clearing or a model, but this…two times?! It's like I'm in Emo-town." I look at her and I don't even need to ask the question that lies on my tongue. "Passed. A plus. Fuck!" I smile at Chloe and she smiles back, but no cheering this time. I think this photo hella depressed her. "What are ya waiting for? Get the fuck out of here, all of ya!"

Chloe stands up and we hug. "We did it! You even got an A!"

"Thanks Max, for believing in me!" I press her harder to me. "C'mon, let's bail! I need some cheer up, before science class!"

"Oi, Pricefield!" Chloe and I turn around to Bowinkle. "Stay for a minute, we need to bloody talk." Then we look at each other, Chloe just shrugs and I hope deep within me, this is not gonna be another shit from her to get rid of us. Bowinkle stands right before us, one hand on her hip, and the other one on the teacher's desk. "Okay, what's up with you two? How did you do this?"

"What do you mean, Bo…" I stop myself before finishing the sentence. Chloe and I called her Bowinkle so often this week, 'cause she doesn't like it and we didn't like her, so that I nearly made the mistake really calling her by her real name, what definitely would've pissed her off right away, again. "…Rebow?"

"At the beginning of this bloody week Price here didn't have even a wee clue about photography and now she hands in a class-A nude-shot of you, made with a 4000 dollars vintage camera. Are you two shitting me?"

Chloe tells her all about what we did this week to achieve this photo. She even shows her some of her other shots. At first Rebow stares at her in unbelief, but the more she tells, the more she believes her.

Eventually she nods. "Alright, so you've got some talent. But whose idea was it to make a nude?"

This time it's me who answers her. "Actually, she made this shot spontaneously for herself, but I've encouraged her to submit it, 'cause I knew you've got some special relationship with nudes, hence your career."

She grins at me again, but this time it's a playful one. "You're a sneaky little bitch, Caulfield! And talking about relationship; how long are you two…?" She points her finger at the both of us in a linking manner. We look at us and then towards her. Actually I thought that in the meantime all of Arcadia Bay should know about us, but if Rebow would've known, she wouldn't have asked. "C'mon mates. I recognize lezzys if I see them, 'cause I'm one of them." Her, outing herself to us, was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life. Imaging your teacher tells you that he or she is gay; awkward! And then she said it with some self-confidence that was more than intimidating.

All Chloe manages to say is a short "Well…". I for myself remain silent.

"Geez, you bloody Americans are so prude." She rolls with her eyes. "By the way, holding hands under the table, kissing in class and showing a nude-picture that's radiating with spontaneity are very obvious evidences." Still we remain silent, don't know what to make out of this awkward situation. Now she becomes a little pissed. "Oh bloody hell, don't stare at me as if I just asked you for a threesome! Chill out! I just wanted to get to know my top-photographers a little better, talk with them in private and ask them, if they know a shiny place where I can…y'know…chill up."

With her hands she mimics the smoking of a joint, catching Chloe's attention. "Oh, you mean medicate!"

"Medi…what?!"

"Y'know. Medicate. Blaze. Get high. Light the candle. Smoke a dooby." Just now I wonder how many expressions there are for one simple activity.

Rebow's as puzzled as me about all the synonyms for smoking a joint, but eventually nods. "Yes, exactly!"

Chloe grins. "I know the perfect place! There's no better place to light the candle than a lighthouse!"

I just roll my eyes, typical Chloe. Bowinkle just shrugs. "Okay, whatever. At the parking lot, 15 o'clock." Again, we look at her puzzled and she facepalms herself. "Oh boy! 3pm; better?" We nod and she walks off with one last sentence. "Bloody American Kids."

The dormitories are full with students, the doors of some rooms are open and loud music is playing. Due to the chilly weather outside, most students remain indoors. While Chloe had to attend science class, I returned to my room to rest a bit, because with a gunshot wound you are freed from PE a whole semester, minimum. Which doesn't really matter, because most of the students skip it anyway.

Damn, I'm still full of adrenaline from this photography-class and doubt that I can concentrate on math later, additionally I'm starving. Hopefully Chloe finishes her class in time, so we can hit the cafeteria to get something to eat.

As I pack my bag for the next classes I hear my door open and close again. In expectation of Chloe, returning earlier from science, I turn around with a smile, but it falters as soon as I see Victoria in front of me. "Victoria!"

She waves at me, taking on unsecure step towards me. "Hi, Max!"

My expression gets firm. I'm definitely not in the mood for a fight. "What are you doing here? Why weren't you in class? Bowinkle is pissed."

"Well, simply put, I'm here to apologize and to say good bye." Her voice is very heavy; she's drunk as fuck and from the smell of her breath that reaches me seconds later I can tell she's also smoked pot. She takes another step towards me and I take one step back; more from pure instinct than on purpose. "I was a real bitch as I made your relationship public. This was immature and stupid. I'm sorry!"

Victoria and apologizing? That's a new one, but I better take it and run away than asking it. "Thanks, apology accepted! Now, why do you want to say good bye?"

She giggles; damn, she's fully loaded. "Oh Max, my naïve Max. Because I won't attend Blackwell anymore."

This answer strikes me like a lightning. "What?! Why?"

"Well, by my parents' opinion, my last actions were, as they would say it, _immature_." She quotes the last word. "They say, only a mature person can be a top-notch-photographer, so they decided to take me off school for one year to work in their fancy-pansy-gallery and give me the chance to grow up a bit more."

I always thought that I and Victoria couldn't be any different as it gets, but just in this moment I realize that we have more in common than we would've ever expected. I know how she feels; I've had the same bullshit with my parents. "What?! They can't do this. I mean, you're talented. Agreed, you're sometimes a mean bitch, but a very talented bitch, with some good sides."

Under normal circumstances she would've raged on me for this comment, but she stays calm and smiles at me warmly. "I told them that, but they just threatened me to cut me off, if I'd stay at Blackwell."

"Then do it! My parents tried the same thing with me, but I could convince them eventually."

Victoria comes closer to me, still smiling; touching my shoulder. "Oh Max, my parents aren't that simple. You know what my mother said as she caught me watching an Anime? And I love Animes; I've got tons of them." I shake my head. I knew, she had a little, geeky side inside of her, but not that it's that big. "She said I should stop watching cartoons and start to grow up, focusing on my career. Can you believe it? I watched an R-rated Anime, with blood, gore and sex; and she simply called it a cartoon!" She really seems to have a bitch of a mother; damn, I already feel sorry for her. "Did you know that she planed that I should've my first exposé at the age of 20? That's one year from now! How should I do that? And she doesn't even bother to postpone it, after they're taking me off school for one fucking year!"

Standing there, I just listen to her and can't believe what she's telling me. I never knew she's under that big kind of pressure. Probably she never told anyone else in order to hold her reputation upright. I feel really sorry for her. No wonder she busted herself that much. "Victoria, I'm sorry! I never knew…"

She waves with her hand like she's swashing away a fly. "Nobody knows, except you." Then she looks deep into my eyes. "But before I go, I wanted to tell you that I always envied you!"

I stare at her in surprise. Did she just say that she envies me? "Why?"

"Look at you, Max. You've got a lot of talent, even a scholarship. Everyone likes you in your geeky way. Nobody expects you to be mature or to dress like a model; to be over the top. You're free. You can do whatever you want and others won't even give a shit. But if people see me and know who I am and who my parents are, they always think I'm high society; that I was born with a camera in my hands. They expect me to be fucking perfect, like my parents do. And this drives me nuts! I hate to be, who I am right now. I want to be a geek; at least for one day. But whatever I try, I can't do it. I instantly fall back into my old scheme, 'cause nobody in this fucking school would accept me or even help me to achieve it…except you."

Again, she moves closer to me and again I back away. "Why me? And why now? Since I started at this school you bullied me for what I am and now you tell me that you want to be like me. This doesn't make any sense."

Victoria sighs. "I know. I thought my life was a happy one; that I had anything. But then you came along. The geeky, talented hipster-girl with her instant-camera. I saw your photos and was jealous in an instant, you even got a scholarship. I hated you for what you are, 'cause I literally worked my ass off to get accepted and to earn some reputation at this school. It felt like the universe is making fun of me. Do you think I liked these Vortex-Club fuckers? Or that I liked hanging around with this psycho Nathan? No, I hate them all!"

"Then why did you hate Rachel Amber so much? She wasn't like the others."

"How would you know about Rachel, Max? You never even met her. But if you really want to know, because of the same reasons I hated you! She had everything and didn't even have to work for it."

"And what about Courtney and Taylor, they're your friends."

"Well, Taylor just hangs around me, 'cause I comforted her while her mother was very ill and Courtney just plays along with me as long as I've some connection to the cool people. No, Max, they're no real friends; they're not like you." With another step she closes more in, nearly touching my body with hers. I try to take another step back, but I realize the wall is in my back; I'm trapped. "Max, as I heard what happened to you; that you risked your life for someone; I realized that there is more to you than just words. You're a great person, a hero, an idol! And I asked myself what I want to be in future? A high-society-bitch or a geek, who helps and is liked by other people?"

So that is why Victoria wanted to be my friend and work together with me; she wanted to change. But why hasn't she? "Then why didn't you tell me all this before and did something more than just making me an offer?"

Now her expression becomes kind of cold and frustrated. "Because this blue-haired bi… friend of yours was always around you."

"Her name is Chloe."

"Yeah, yeah. Chloe whatsoever. She was always there, hanging around you and we couldn't stand each other and there was no chance of talking to you, because…"

Damn, I need to get rid of her, before Chloe comes here, or else there will be some bitch slapping again; so I interrupt her. "Victoria, this is all very great, but what's your point?"

She looks at me in awe; not even mad that I interrupted her. "My point? My point is that you're cute and pretty and smart and sexy…"

What the fuck!? Is she trying to hit on me? "Okay, that's the booze talking. Why don't you go back to your room, sober up and we continue this conversation later?"

At first she thinks about my words for some seconds and then nods. "Maybe your right, Max. I should go to my room." But instead of just going, her head comes closer to me, putting on a warm and seductive smile, and her hand touches my cheek. "But why don't you come with me and help me sober up, having some fun in the process?"

I want to back away more, but the wall is in my back. So I turn my head away. "Victoria, no! Leave me alone!"

Suddenly her both hands embrace my head like a mangle and turns my face towards hers and the she kisses me. Her lips are warm and soft, feeling rather nice, but the taste of booze mixed with the stench of weed and the fact that these are Victoria's lips, makes me want to vomit in an instant. I make myself ready to kick my knee right into Victoria's groin to free myself, as just in this moment the door opens and Chloe walks into my room.

"Hey Maximus, wanna grab some…What the fuck?!" Finally Victoria is distracted and I'm able to release my head and shove her away from me. I look at Chloe and time slows down as I see the expression on her face turns from surprise to shock, from shock to unbelief, from unbelief to sadness and from sadness to pure anger. Her eyes are getting watery and without any word she turns around and runs out of the room.

"Chloe, wait!" I try to run after her, but Victoria catches my arm and holds me back.

"Let her go, Max. She'll get over it, eventually. Let's have some more fun!"

Every one of her words fuels my anger, turns it into hate and as I turn around my flat hand hits her with all my strength, right into her face so hard that she spins around 360 ° and lands on her butt, again. "Don't you ever touch me again! You were right, you'll never change! You'll always be an arrogant and selfish bitch, who thinks she can possess everything, even people. Fuck you!"

After I yelled these words at her, I chase after Chloe, hoping, I could reach and talk to her. She's probably heading for her truck so I run to the parking lot, but as I reach it, I see the back of the truck, driving away. Damn!

Where would she go and how do I get there? Bowinkle broke her phone, as if she would've taken my calls anyway, so that's out of the question. She's probably heading for a place, where she could be alone, thinking about things; a spot normally no one goes to; a secret lair; her secret lair. The junkyard! I know it's a longshot, but it's the only place that comes into my mind right now.

And now for the question, how do I get there? The bus is way too slow and the nearest bus stop for the junkyard is almost two miles away. So this is also a no go. As I look around the parking lot I see the answer for that problem right in front of me, so I put out my phone and speed dial Warren's number.

"Hi Warren! It's me, Max."

"Hey Maximum Overdrive! What's up?"

"Warren, I need a big favor."

"No prob! Your white knight is at your service!"

"I need your new ride. Can you meet me at the parking lot ASAP? It's an emergency."

"Yeah. Yeah. All right. Be right there in a minute."

After some minutes he arrives at the parking lot, giving me a big smile and plays with his keys. "So, where are we going?"

"Sorry Warren, but I need to do this alone." His smile fades. "Is this okay with you?"

He shrugs. "Uh, listen Max. You are a very good friend and I like you very much, and this car may not be a new one, but it did cost some money and I don't want to borrow it to other persons. I mean, not that you're just SOME person…"

I feel how my hope leaves me and I know that I ask much of him, trusting me with his new precious, but I need this car or else I fear that I may lose Chloe, so I need to go all in! "Please Warren, you're my only hope. I'd owe you big time! Tell me what I should do and I'll do it!"

He scratches himself behind his head. "Well, I always wanted to go on a date with you."

I look at him with big eyes. Last time he mentioned something in this way, Chloe almost ripped his head off, but it's the only available option for now, so I nod in agreement. "Alright! One date and only if Chloe agrees with it."

Now his smile returns. "That's good enough for me. But promise me, to try everything to make it happen!"

"Done!" He hands me over his car keys and I give him a big hug! "Thanks Warren! You're a really great friend!" And a few seconds later I'm on my way to the junkyard.

Warren's car may not be a new one, but it gets the job pretty well done. At least it does make much less annoying sounds than Chloe's truck and is in much better shape.

The drive to the junkyard feels like hours, but in fact only takes like 15 minutes. During this time I try to overthink every possible scenario that could happen. Chloe's probably going to be really pissed at me and I need to convince her that this was all Victoria's doing and not mine. But how are you convincing an aggressive, self-destructive person of this fact? How do you reason with them? I saw Chloe pissed before, but this time it's going to be another dimension of pissed. Damn! Why did this happen? Why couldn't she enter the room some minutes earlier or later?

As I arrive at the junkyard on a muddy trail; I need to take Warren's car to a carwash; I can already see Chloe's truck on the entry. Score, guessed right!

The car hasn't even stopped, as I turn off the engine and jump out of it. Luckily the junkyard is relatively small, so that I can see Chloe's blue hair over some cars. I run for her. She sits on the hood of an old car, right next to the hole where Rachel's body was found, staring into it.

I run towards her. "Chloe!"

"Go away, Max! I don't want to see you!" Her voice is calm, but full of bitterness and she doesn't even look up.

"No, Chloe. You need to listen to me! This wasn't my fault; it was all Victoria's doing."

Chloe just scoffs. "Yeah, right. Let me guess, she tripped and in your great generosity you caught her with your lips, creating low pressure."

All I could do is just staring perplexed at her, because I never expected such a stupid answer. "What?! No! Are you even listening?"

Suddenly she looks up, directly into my eyes. I can see her anger, lingering inside of it; her voice is sharp like a blade. "No, I don't. Now, you listen to me! I won't listen to anybody anymore! Not you, not my mom, nobody. Because everybody lies, no exceptions!" I know this saying, it is written on the wall in Chloe's room. But before I'm able to speak she continues. "For the last five years my life's been a living hell. A month ago I thought that would change; that you would change it." Her expression gets accusing. "But instead, you made it even worse by bailing on me again. Living large with your precious Victoria, while I'm eating shit. Like the time you were safe and sound in Seattle."

Every one of those words come down on me like a hailstorm; they hurt and making me hate myself again, for leaving her alone for five years. But she's wrong, when she thinks that these five years were easy for me. I never told her, but now is the time, I can't hold it any longer, so I disrupt her. "You think these five years were easy for me?" I don't wait for an answer. "My parents decided over my head to move to Seattle, right during the time you needed me the most. I cried for days, thinking about how to tell you."

She scoffs again and this time this scoff hurts me even more. "Yeah, you thought about it pretty well, 'cause you never told me until you were gone."

"No, Chloe. I never told you and never said good bye, 'cause I didn't know what to say; I didn't want to hurt you! I was scared that you would be mad at me. And that's the same reason I never gave you a massage. At first I was still scared you would be mad at me for not saying good bye. Later I was scared that you don't want to talk to me anymore. And after that I was scared that you'd have forgotten me and moved on. And then I got accepted at Blackwell and returned to Arcadia Bay, so my first thought was to contact you, but there I was again, a scared asshole, giving homework the fault for not visiting you. I hated myself for five years, feeling like shit, having depressions, even these last weeks."

All she does is shrugging with her shoulders. "Oh Boohoo. Nice story, but why didn't you tell me this before? Why now?"

"Because compared to your problems, mine seemed so minor. So, I didn't want to bug you with them, and you never asked. Now I realize that my problems were the same as yours, we simply missed and needed each other. You said it yourself, after you saw me after this five years, you knew that I was the missing part in your heart and for me it was the same. Do you really think I would risk all this for someone like Victoria?"

After I said these words the look in her eyes change from angry back to sad, averting my sight she looks down into the hole, again. I just hope that I reached her now; that she believes me. "Maybe you would, but I don't care anymore. I'm done, Max. Done with you; done with this fucking town; done with this stupid planet; done with my fucked up life!" As I try to understand these words, she pulls a gun from behind her and holds it in her hands, staring at it. "I'm gonna do, what I should've done a long time ago: making the pain go away."

Deep shock embraces my heart as I realize what she's going to do and I know that I can't let that happen. I need to stop her, like I stopped Kate from jumping off that roof. "Chloe, you don't need…"

Before I could even finish my sentence she looks at me and again there is pure anger in her eyes. "Yes, Max. This is exactly what I need to do. You had your chance, but you blew it, okay? Now, beat it!"

My voice shakes as my head does the math and knows that my chances zero to talk her out of it are nearly. Desperation starts to crawl into me. "No, Chloe. I won't leave you! I promised!"

"You promises are worth shit to me! And to make myself even more clear: It's over between us!"

"What?!"

"You heard me. I'm breaking up with you, 'cause I don't love you anymore! Now fuck off or…or…" She takes the gun and aims at me. "…or I'm gonna shoot you!"

Most people would be terrified if a gun is pointed at them, but at this time I don't care, because as she told me that she doesn't love me anymore, my heart broke into a million pieces. I felt every crack like a hot needle in my chest. All hope and happiness dissipates and is replaced by desperation and pain; tears are flowing down my cheeks. Everything lost its meaning, even my life and so all I can do is to take a step closer to her, hoping that she'll shoot me, ending my misery. "Shoot me!" My voice is merely a whisper.

"Max, what are you doing? Get back!"

Another step, my voice is getting a bit louder. "Shoot me!" And another step.

"Max, don't make me do it!" One step more. I almost reached her. The anger in her eyes turns into fear; opening them wide.

With the last step I stand right in front of her. The gun is aiming at my heart, point blank. Now I yell at her. "JUST SHOOT ME!" Chloe stares at me in fear, her hand shaking; she can't do it. Suddenly the desperation and pain turns into anger. I'm losing control, again. And before she even could react I rip the gun out of her hand, take a few steps back and hold it onto my head. "You want to kill yourself?"

Chloe still just stares at me. "Max, I…"

Now I don't let her finish. "Fine! Let's do it! Let's do it together! But under one condition: I'll go first!"

"Why?"

"Why? You really ask me, why? How about, without you my life ain't worth shit?" I start to cry harder. "I can't do this anymore. I can't lose you, again. In one week I saw you die more times than I could take. Every time you were killed, something inside of me broke. Every time I wanted to die with you. The only thing that kept me going was hope! The hope to change time; the hope of seeing you again; he hope that I would eventually safe you one last time and finally be with you, together. Do you really think that I would've gone through all of this, and then cheat on you with someone like Victoria? She forced me to kiss her, it was sexual harassment. And the fact that you don't believe me hurts me even more!"

She stays silent, but her expression changes into guilt.

"I would do anything for you and you know it. There was only one time I didn't; and that was when we were in this fucking restroom." Chloe looks at me with wide eyes. I never told her the true reason I travelled back in time. "Frankly, I was there to stop myself from saving you and therefor to correct the timeline. It wasn't even my idea, it was yours. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't let you die! Not again! Not after this damn kiss. I'd give my life for you, even now. Chloe, I love you with all my heart and if you're really done with me, there's no reason for me to live any longer. So tell me now, are you really breaking up with me or is there still hope for us?"

Again, she stays silent and tries to avert my sight.

"Chloe, look into my eyes and tell me the truth or I'll know that I can end it right here, right now."

To strengthen my position I cock the hammer and instantly she looks into my eyes. I can see fear in her blue ones. Tears start running down her cheeks. "Max, wait…"

"No! That's not what I want to hear! Do you still love me, yes or no?" My finger tightens around the trigger.

"YES!" Chloe falls onto her knees, burying her face into her hands and cries hard. "Yes. Fucking yes. I still love you! I still fucking love you! Please stop! Please don't do it!"

Relief floods my body and everything goes numb. I take the gun down and just drop it to the ground. The pain in my heart is gone, but also are all my feelings. My head feels blank and as I walk towards Chloe and lay my hand on her head, it's like someone is controlling me remotely. I don't know what I'm doing until the words left my mouth. "Chloe Elizabeth Price, do you want to spent the rest of your fucked up life with me, no matter what shit the world is gonna throw at us?"

Now she looks up into my face. Her eyes are red from crying and stare at me in surprise. At first it seems she doesn't know what to say, but eventually she answers in a mere whisper. "Yes, I do!"

As soon as these words are spoken, all strength is leaving my body again. I feel free, happy, like I'm flying. The last time I had this feeling was when Chloe and I danced right after I left the hospital. And now I just do what I did before; I close my eyes and let myself drop, embracing the darkness that comes over me; the silence; the peace.

November is not really a month to sleep outside, at least not in Oregon. I'm cold as I wake up, but as I see Chloe's smiling face first thing, it warms me up a little. Actually, I feel like shit. Everything hurts and I have a hell of a headache.

"Tell me one thing, Max. Is this unconscious thingy's gonna be a common thing in our future? I mean, not that I mind, but it would be nice to know."

There she is again, my old, mocking Chloe! I missed her! I want to get up, but her comfortable thighs and my headache from outta hell are stopping me from doing this. Everything I manage is a groan.

Chloe brushes my hair. "Easy, take your time."

"How long was I out?"

"Maybe 15 minutes. Do you remember everything?"

I nod.

"So you remember that you proposed to me?"

I smile at her. "Yes, I do and I even recall your answer, so don't take it back!"

"Me? Never! I hella wanna marry you!" She puts a fat grin on, leans down and kisses me.

Even as I want this moment on her comfortable thighs to last forever, I decide to get up, feeling dizzy and my head is killing me. My camera bag is lying beside Chloe. I reach for it and pull out a small box, handing it over to her.

"For me?" I nod and she takes and opens it. At first she stares at the content, don't know what to say and then pulls out a pitch black ring. "Wow, this ring is awesome!"

"I knew you would like it, 'cause you're definitely not the gold and silver type. It's made from obsidian and I thought it might be a nice engagement ring."

Chloe pulls the ring onto her right ring finger. "So, you planned to pop the question? Since when?"

"Well, since you tried to propose to me in my diary, but chickened out." A small mischievously grin rushes over my face, but is fast replaced by a sad expression. "I only imagined the occasion would've been better."

Now Chloe is the one who looks sad, averting my view, again. "Max, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for freaking out, for not believing you and for everything I said. I'm such a fucked up character."

My hand touches her cheek and moves her head towards me again and I look deep into her blue eyes. "No Chloe, you're not fucked up and you don't need to apologize! I would've freaked, too, if I saw you smooching with someone like Victoria. I just wished that I would've kicked her butt sooner."

A faint smile occurs on her lips. "Yeah. Maybe I should slap her a bit more; the last beating obviously hadn't the wished effect."

But I don't smile back. "No, Chloe! No more beating or punching or slapping! You know you're on probation!"

"Bummer, but yeah, you're right."

"By the way, I already slapped her, after you ran out of my room. And she's punished enough by her parents, 'cause they took her out of Blackwell."

"What?! The bitch is gone!"

"Yep, for good."

"Here." She takes off her bullet-necklace and hands it over to me. "Take it."

I just stare at it. This is Chloe's most beloved item, I never saw her without it. So it really surprises me that she wants to give it to me. I hesitate.

"C'mon hippie, take it! It's my engagement present for you!"

With shaky hands I take it. "But it's your favorite necklace."

"No, it's my only necklace and I hella love it, but I hella love you more, so take it and wear it!"

I put the necklace over my head, it's heavy, but I'm so proud of it. "Thanks Chloe, it's the best engagement present ever! I'll never take it off!"

Chloe puts on a wide smile "You hella betcha! Now gimme some mush, babe!" We both lay our arms around each other and kiss for a long time. "Okay, mushy time's over." Since Bowinkle smashed her phone, Chloe wears her old watch from children's days, to know the time. It looks pretty awkward between the spiked bracelets and the concert bandages, but since she attends school again and wants to be successful, punctuality has become her new virtue. And therefor knowing the time is of the essence. She looks on it. "Shit, I need to head home and return the gun, before David wakes up and notices one is missing."

"Okay, while you're at it I'll return Warrens car."

She looks at the small, blue vehicle. "This piece of crap is Warren's car? I expected a Bat-Mobile. Nice of him, borrowing it to you."

I scratch the back of my head. "Yeah, but it came with a catch."

She looks at me suspiciously. "What catch?"

"A date."

"A date?" I prepare myself to get in hella trouble, but surprisingly Chloe just shrugs. "Alright, a date then. But no smooching!"

"Wait, you're fine with it."

"Yeah, he kinda saved me from doing a stupid thing. And as long as it's just a date between friends, I'm fine with it. But no smooching!"

"No smooching, promised!" I smile relaxed.

We make our way to the cars, as Chloe instantly stops. "Wait! You need to come home with me!"

"What? Why?"

"Mom's at home and as long as David is resting from nightshift she'll be downstairs."

"So?"

"So?! If I go into David's realm of motor oil and guns, she's gonna be suspicious. And if they find out I took one of his toys, I'm toast! So you need to distract her, while I put it back."

She's right. In this reality David and Chloe might finally get along, but there's definitely gonna be some trouble in paradise, if David finds out about that gun. "Alright, let's do it. But how do I distract her and what is, if David's already up?"

"Well, I think about something on the way."

"Now that's reassuring."

"Shut up!"

The whole drive to Chloe's house I hoped she would have developed a plan, but as we arrive there, she only mumbles something about _distraction_ , _shit_ and _shut up_. So much for her plan.

As predicted by Chloe, Joyce is in the kitchen, preparing some lunch for David. As the smell of her delicious food enters my nose, my stomach starts to grumble like a big lion. Time for me to distract Joyce, maybe there's some food in it for me. But before Chloe even has the chance to enter the garage or I'm able distract her, she comes out of the kitchen, probably wondering who just entered her house.

"Chloe, Max! You're already home? Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

Before I could even think about an answer, Chloe takes the word. "Well, something came up."

Joyce raises an eyebrow. "So, something came up? Please enlighten me, what's so important to skip class? And please don't tell me you set the school on fire, again!"

I look at Chloe and she just shrugs. "Don't look at me like that, it was an accident." Then she turns towards her mom again. "No. It's just that I got an A in photography, another A in science and Max proposed to me."

Both, Joyce and me, look at her in unbelief. Did she just tell her mom without any hesitation that I proposed to her? Sometimes I'd like to smack Chloe for things like that, but it's typical and I'm already used to it.

Joyce now concentrates completely at me and I just want to disappear again. "Max, you did what? Let alone that such a marriage is still illegal in Oregon, aren't you going a bit too fast with this kind of thing? How long are you two together, a month?"

I don't know what to say. I just know, I should defend myself. I should stomp with my foot on the ground and tell Joyce to mind her own fucking business, but I can't. I feel so intimidated, so weak; like I'm falling back into my old, insecure self. Sometimes, I ask myself what's wrong with me. In one moment I'm strong and tell other people my opinion. And then there are moments like this, when I just want to be invisible; to be alone.

Thank dog, Chloe understands me. She knows about my inner fight and supports me by taking over the conversation. "Chillax, mom. First of all, it's our own business. Secondly, someday it'll be legal and if we have to move to another state. And thirdly, Max and I know each other our whole life. Granted, it took us some time and a big break to start a relationship, but from the first day I knew that I want this girl by my side forever!" She flings her arm around my shoulder, presses me on her side and gives me a big kiss on the cheek.

Joyce just shakes her head. "Well, young love. The craziest thing on earth. But you're right, you both are old enough and I don't want to be in your way."

Chloe just grins. "Thanks, mom. Now that we settled this, I have to take a dump. C'mon Maximus, help mom a bit while I take my time." Well, and in moments like these, I just want to be invisible, because of Chloe.

Again, Joyce just shakes her head. "Thanks for the images. Max sweetie, will you help me and put some dishes on the table? By the grumbling of your stomach before, I take it that you both haven't eaten, yet." She hands me over some plates and silverware. Awkwardly I don't feel like Smalltalk, so I put everything on the table in silence. "Max, why did you propose to Chloe?"

This question caught me a bit off-guard. I just shrug, because since I got the ring for Chloe, I often asked myself if this is the right thing to do, but frankly, I asked myself the same about our relationship at least a thousand times and so I give her the same answer I gave myself. "It just felt right."

She just stares at me, apparently not satisfied with this answer. "This is a very vague argument. Have you really thought this through?"

Suddenly I feel the strong side in me boiling. And from one moment to the other my insecurity changes into a pissed-off attitude. My fist hits the table. "No! This is a very good argument! Why do you make such a fuzz out of it? I love her and I'll never leave her ever again. Have you seen how she shone, as she told you about the proposal? Chloe is happy! She wants the same!" Joyce looks away, ashamed. "Fuck! Why does everybody try to tell us what to do?" I take a deep breath in and out, trying to calm down. I hate when I lose my temper. "I'm sorry; I didn't want to yell at you. But you have to understand, we're trying to build our own life now."

Joyce sights. "I know. But it changes so fast. Nearly over a month ago, I had to tell Chloe to make the right decisions and now, she makes them of her own. Max, I'm the one who has to apologize."

I give her warm smile. "You don't have to. I know you meant well." We hug, like mother and daughter. Joyce always took good care of me and Chloe. Sometimes I felt like I'm part of the Price family.

"Did I miss a bonding-session?" I and Joyce look at Chloe as she walks her way to the table. "Okay, I know these looks. You talked about me." As if we planned it, we both start to hug her, Joyce as a mother and me as a fiancée. "What the fuck?! I hate group-hugs!" She tries to shove us away, but we got her surrounded. Mushy-time, Chloe!

As David enters the room, already in his Blackwell-security-guard uniform, he just stares at the scenery, unable to know how to react. He coughs to catch our attention. We all separate again; his expression is serious. "Max, Chloe. We need to talk."

Shit, did he find out about the missing gun? I look at Chloe and can see fear in her eyes. I try to stay cool. "What's up, David?"

"Mark Jefferson is out of prison."

His answer is short and brought to the point, but it hits me like a big freight train. "What?! How?"

"Seems like, he bought himself some big-shot attorneys from New York and they got him out, because of the lack of evidence."

No, this can't be! After everything I've been through; the Dark Room, the gun shot, the interrogation; and nothing of these sacrifices were able to hold him in prison. I need to sit down or else I would collapse. My view is an empty stare on the table, the hunger is gone. Chloe takes a seat beside me and lays her arm around my shoulder. She's the only one who knows what I had to endure; what sacrifices I made.

David sees how I feel and tries to comfort me. "I'm so sorry, Max. I should've investigated some more. I should've…"

I disrupt him. "There was nothing you could've done, except of shooting him." The last part came over my lips accidently, but nobody seems to answer back.

"The good news is that he might leave the US tomorrow morning. At least a friend of mine at the police station told me so." How can this be good news? This son of a bitch deserves to rot in a deep hole! "Max, did they tell you that there was binder found with your name on it?"

I look at him, surprised. So he actually planned to capture me, but hence to the incident in the restroom he never had the chance. I shake my head.

Joyce looks at him, deeply worried. "David, what are you trying to say? That this man is still trying to get Max?"

David nods. "That's right. I know, it's a long shot, but as long as he hasn't left this country, I won't take any chances that this son of a bitch will ever hurt anybody again, especially not Chloe's girlfriend." I almost feel like hugging David for those warm words, he's really changed. Now he looks directly at me. "Max, I want you to stay at our house, tonight. Jefferson doesn't know about the relationship between you and Chloe, so he won't have any connections about this address. Furthermore, I want you and Chloe to stay together all the time, even on the toilet. And be back here before dark!"

We both nod. Chloe grins. "I won't ever leave my Max's side. I'm officially her bodyguard!" And I can't feel any safer, than around my Chloe.

It is 2 pm as we arrive at Blackwell again, our stomachs filled with a lot of food. Thanks Joyce! We still got one hour left, before we should meet with Rebow and because of the cold weather we want to spent it in my dorm room.

On our way to the dorms we meet a lot of students outside, but shouldn't they all be still in class? Inside the Prescott dormitory, in front of the door to the floor where my room is, stands a police officer, trying to keep a bunch of students outside. Chloe and I look at each other. What the fuck is going on here?

We have to work our way to the door and as we want to enter, the officer stops us, asking why we want to go in there. I tell him that I have a room and want to get some stuff, but this answer doesn't satisfy him. The door opens and Katie stands in front of us, telling the police officer that I really live on this floor. He nods and lets us in.

The three of us head straight to my room. On the way I see another officer, standing in front of Victoria's room, blocking any sight inside of it.

Now I'm full of worries. "What's going on here, Katie?"

She shakes her head. "Not now. In your room." Chloe closes the door right behind us, after we reached my cocoon and before I even could rephrase my question, she answers it. "It's Victoria, she tried to kill herself." Chloe and look at each other.

Instantly I feel hot guilt inside of me. I was the last one, who probably saw and talked to her. Maybe she killed herself because of my words. But I notice that Kate used the word _tried_ , so Victoria might still be alive. I need to know. "Is she…I mean, how is she?"

Kate looks at me seriously. "She's alive, barely. Taylor found her in her room and screamed in panic. She'd cut her arteries. I tried to stop the bleeding as good as possible until the ambulance arrived." Just now I realize the red stains of blood on the sleeves of her blouse. Kate is a real hero. She saved her, although Victoria bullied her. "But the true reason I wanted to talk behind closed doors is this here." She reaches inside her pocket and takes out a letter, handing it over to me. I look at it. My name's written on it in Victoria's handwriting. "Right after the ambulance arrived, I searched for you, because I heard your argument with her, but you weren't here. I just found this letter from Victoria on the floor and I wanted you to read it first, before the authorities find it. Because if Victoria blames you in it, you can make it disappear and nobody would ask any questions."

At first I don't know what to say. Katie really cares about me; she wants to protect me. All I manage is to hug her. "Thanks!" Chloe accepts this hug, because she finally learned that Katie's my best friend here at Blackwell, well besides of her.

Even Chloe touches her shoulder and nods in respect. "Thanks, Kate."

I take a deep breath and open the letter. I read it out aloud.

 _Dear Max,_

 _if you read this letter, I'm probably dead by now. I just can't take this life anymore and you were right, I'll never be able to change it. But be rest assured, you're not the reason I'm doing this. My parents and especially my mother are the ones to blame. They made me this horrible person I am today and I hate them for doing this to me!_

 _Max, you were the only person I've ever told about my real feelings; who I've ever showed my real me. And you were so kind to listen to me, though I always bullied you the whole time. You were the only person who could have helped me, but I fucked it up. I drove you away and with you, all of my hope. I see no other way than ending it all._

 _I also want to apologize for all the bad things I did to you and any other person. I'm sorry for calling you a selfie-whore and making your work bad, because I like selfies and yours were the best I've ever seen. You have a real talent and I was just jealous. I hope that you will become the best photographer in the whole world! And I want to apologize for this stupid kiss and my behavior in front of your girlfriend. I hope she's forgiven you by now and if not, show her this letter._

 _Please, also tell Kate, I'm so sorry for this damn Video. No one deserves what she went through. She's such a nice and innocent person and I just…just… Damn, I'm such an evil bitch._

 _Good bye, Max. Maybe we see each other in another life, hopefully as friends._

 _Sincerely, Victoria_

A tear runs down my cheek. This letter is so full of emotion and desperation. I've never expected something like this from Victoria. Maybe she told me the truth. Maybe she really wanted to change, but never got the chance.

I look into Katie's eyes and see that she's thinking the same. Only Chloe seems not to be unimpressed, because her face is just serious.

"Damn, I'd never guessed that she was in such emotional pain. I kind of feel sorry for her."

And as I look to Kate again she nods. "Me too."

"Me not." We both look at Chloe. Her expression is still stern. "What? Have you two really forgotten what she has done to us?"

I've never seen Chloe so emotionless in a long time; I think she took Victoria's actions very personal. But maybe she's wrong this time. "No, but…"

"No buts, Max." She doesn't even let me finish and seems slightly pissed. "Granted, maybe her parents did push her into this role, but they aren't responsible for her actions." She focuses on Kate. "Kate, don't you remember, she made this fucked up video of you, making out with some guys, drugged, and put it online?" Kate nods and looks down, then Chloe looks at me. "And Max, didn't Victoria bully you from the first day on here at Blackwell? Let alone that she tried to blackmail us and made our relationship public as we didn't do what she wanted." With every word her voice gets more and more bitter. "And what about this damn kiss? Max, less than two hours ago I was ready to kill myself too, because she made me belief you were banging her."

Now I'm the one looking at my feet, feeling ashamed. How could I ignore Chloe's feelings in this? Victoria hurt her pretty bad and me too. And what about Katie? Images of the day she tried to jump off the roof are flashing into my mind. I feel so miserable. Sure, Victoria seemed to be in an emotional dilemma and she boycotted the contest for me, but does this nullify her bad actions?

"Max, someone said that a person and its character are defined by their actions. Maybe Victoria has this good side inside of her, but she never used it for the three of us; she never showed it. She made a choice, like we all did. Katie, you chose to be a good person, who helps others. Max, you chose to save my life and stay at my side, forever. I chose to change myself for you. And Victoria? She chose to be an evil person. A Bully, who shits on people, which seemed less to her. And until she doesn't change this, I'm not forgiving her shit. And Max, if you really know me half the way you should be, then you would understand me, otherwise we should forget about this marriage thing."

Her words hit me like a jackhammer. Does she really want to cancel our engagement, just because I kind of forgive Victoria? But she is totally right! Victoria has to proof herself, before we can forgive her. My voice is rather quite as I answer her. "You're right. She doesn't deserve forgiveness right away. Sorry."

Kate joins in with this sorry and we both stand there like children, caught doing something bad. Chloe just raises an eyebrow and grins. "If it weren't for me, you two would be a hella cute couple!"

I know that this was just a typical mock by Chloe, but Katie doesn't know her that well. Her eyes widen and she blushes; her voice shivers a bit. "Sorry, b-but I need to go now. My class will start in a few minutes. Bye."

She leaves the room fast. Chloe and I look at each other, puzzled why she left all of a sudden. Chloe shrugs with her shoulders. "Did I say something wrong?" I just shake my head, but I have a feeling that she actually did, because before Katie turned around to leave I had a glimpse of her eyes and they were wetting. Did she take Chloe's comment that personal? But why? Was she offended by the thought of being in a relationship with a girl or was it the lack of a relationship with another person? Either way, I feel worried about Kate. She's been through a lot and I think she needs someone to talk to. Maybe I should have a private tea session with her this weekend, but now I need to focus on Chloe and the upcoming meeting with Rebow.

At point 3 pm we wait for Rebow at the parking lot, but as it is suitably for a real punk, she's 10 minutes late. I use the time to suck in the surrounding nature. The sky is covert in clouds and the wind is freshening up. Autumn is finally showing its dark side. Almost all trees have lost their colorful leaves, the days have become grey, and the temperature is decreasing with every day. Winter is coming with big steps, sending the storms as its messengers. But still, even in these times, the fall has its beauty; its own, beautiful melancholy.

As in class, Bowinkle walks towards us with big steps, her boots stomping on the ground. She and Chloe perform their handshake like they've known each other for years; maybe it's just a punk thing to do it properly, but I suck at these, always making the wrong moves. Rebow just shakes her head and Chloe laughs.

During the ride to the lighthouse I stay silent, looking out of the window. Chloe and Rebow talk and laugh, but I don't feel like chatting and having fun. The whole time I keep thinking about Victoria's suicide attempt, Kate's reaction after Chloe's mock, and Jefferson's release from prison. Damn, sometimes I have the feeling that this is all too much again. Like it's this whole goddamn week 2.0, lacking my time altering powers. Fuck, I think I need a vacation again; just a few days out of town. Maybe I should talk to Chloe about this. We could visit my parents in Seattle; show her some places and just have a good time. But for now I need to survive this _duo infernale_ besides of me.

For a city-kid, Rebow clearly enjoys nature like born in the province. She breathes in the fresh air deeply. "That's what I'm bloody talking about, chumps!" She sits down on the bench and lights her joint, polluting the fresh air in the process; yuck!

I and Chloe sit down beside her. The stench of weed crawls up my nose and I feel sick in an instant, because I haven't smelled in for weeks now. And there is a question in my head that I'm asking myself since this morning, so I break my silence. "Rebow?"

She turns towards and another cloud of biting smoke hits me. "Just call me Rita. Want a draft?" She reaches me the joint, but I just shake my head. Then she turns towards Chloe and she looks at me, asking expression in her eyes.

I just force a smile. "I think one more time won't kill anyone."

Chloe seems surprised. She looks at the joint, making a small move to reach for it, but then retracts her hand again. "Nah, I stopped smoking this shit. Drugs nearly ruined me and I made a promise to myself. But thanks for asking."

Rita just shrugs. "More for me." And takes another draft.

"Uh, Rita?" Wowser, it feels so strange to be on first-name-basis with a teacher, but then she isn't just an ordinary teacher.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you want to meet with me and Chloe?"

She musters me, like she tries to decide whether or not to answer this question. "Well, first of all, you two seem to be the only normal people in this bloody town."

"You mean gay." Sometimes I don't know, if Chloe says such things as a joke or not.

Rita sighs. "No, not because you two are gay. By the way, you two are the strangest gays I've ever seen. Especially you, Max. I've never would've guessed that you would go out with a hot woman like Chloe. Way to go, mate!"

"Thanks." It is one of the few moments I see Chloe blush. I bet she never heard anyone else, except me, calling her hot. Additionally, I feel a bit jealousy inside of me and Rita seems to notice it and grins.

She pokes my shoulder. "Don't worry; I won't take her away from you. She's not my type." I have to force myself not to sigh in relief. Chloe still has a deep red face and Rita laughs out loud. "Wow, you two are so cute!" After she finished laughing; I don't know if it was because she found this situation funny or because she had a laugh flash; she inhales some more weed. "And there are more obvious gay people at Blackwell. Take our class for an example. There are at least two."

"Who?" I'm surprised as this word left my mouth. Maybe I am very nosy, but I was never really interested in the sexual life of others.

This paints Rita another smile on her face. "Well, the most obvious would be Evan. One hundred percent gay." Okay, I'd guessed that, too. But who is the other one? "The second one would be our little shy Kate."

"What?!" Now I'm totally surprised. I mean, I know that Kate is a shut-in and that she never had a boyfriend before, but that doesn't mean she's into girls.

"Never would've guessed this one, huh?"

"How can you tell? She seems so normal and never made any moves on other girls. And there was this viral video, where she's kissing guys."

"True, she seems pretty straight on the outside, but there is a small clue." Now I'm curious. "So, I never saw this bloody video, I heard she kissed guys, but she also was drugged and didn't know what she was doing. But she made some moves on a special girl that sits right beside me and this more than just once. Today it was most obvious to me." At first I look at Chloe, thinking she is the one, but then Rita pokes my arm again. "Not her. You, dumbass!"

"What?!" Now I'm the one blushing and Chloe seems pretty jealous.

Rita laughs out loud again, but calms down a few seconds later. "You didn't know, didn't ya? The way she looked at your nude shot, how she looked at you the whole time in class. The sadness in her eyes as Chloe kissed you. Maybe she's not a completely homo, but definitely bi and has a full crush on you."

Oh, poor Katie. I know she always felt alone and searched comfort by being close to me, but I never would've guessed that there's more. I feel a bit bad about it, but Chloe is my girlfriend and fiancée. I love her and never would leave her, sorry Kate! And she seems to know it. Why else did Chloe's comment hurt her so much, back in my room? I give Chloe a comforting look, to show her that she's the only one for me and as she understands I see the jealousy in her eyes vanish.

Rita recognizes the tension between me and Chloe. "Sorry, didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. Damn, this bloody grass always makes me so edgy, like on Monday. Oh yeah, by the way, to answer your first question, the second reason is this here." She grabs inside her pocket and pulls out a phone, giving it to Chloe. "Here, for you. Sorry about wrecking your other phone. Like I said, grass makes me edgy and I took a lot on Monday to overcome tension."

Chloe looks at the phone and jumps off the bench. "Wow! Dude, that's a new iPhone."

Rita shrugs again. "Yeah. After I wasn't stoned anymore I had a bad conscience and bought you this one. Hope ya like it."

"Like it? Like it?! It's awesome!" She hugs Rita, almost throwing her off the bench. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Rebow just feels uncomfortable and tries to free herself. "Okay, okay, okay. Get the fuck away from me!" I can't suppress a laugh.

After everyone calmed down, we sit down again. Rita lights a cigarette after finishing her joint and smokes. I look at the horizon. It is dark, a chilly wind whips from the ocean and the sun gives a final sparkle through the clouds, before it sinks into the ocean. Suddenly I have to think about Victoria.

"There was another person in our class, who likes girls."

Rita looks at me, clearly surprised I brought this topic up again. "Who?"

My look remains on the horizon "Victoria."

Rebow coughs as I mention her name. "What?! How would you know?"

I tell her about the situation we were into. Then I give her the letter and she reads it. Her expression becomes sadder with every second and I realize that I've never seen her sad before. Maybe she's not that different from Chloe. Hard on the outside, but a soft and loving core inside.

"Poor girl."

Chloe looks at her. She's pissed again. Oh please Chloe, don't rage against your teacher, please! "She's not a poor girl, she's a bitch."

The second these words have left her mouth every possible scenario goes through my head. From Rita just walking away to Rita throws Chloe off the cliff, but nothing like this happens. She remains calm and shakes her head. "Maybe she is and maybe she did a lot of bloody bad things, but what will you expect from a person, who doesn't know any different?"

"That's no excuse!"

"No, it is not. It's just sad." Rita takes a big draft from her cig and exhales it after some seconds. "Chloe, you only know her bad side, but I, I know her since she was ten years old."

We both look at her in surprise.

She smiles. "Now don't look too surprised. You both know I was an upper class photographer and in this royal bloody circle you will eventually meet the Chases; and learn to hate those bloody bastards, especially Victoria's mother."

"Well, you definitely put some rage on Victoria on Monday."

"Yeah, but so did I on you two and I ended up liking you both."

"So you don't hate Victoria?"

She just shakes her head. No other word, no explanation. We remain silence for a few minutes.

The fresh wind brushes through my hair and I lose myself in my thoughts, coming up with something that I asked myself for some time now. Since the first day I read about Rebow, there was this one question in my mind. A question that no literature could answer. "Rita, why did you stop making photos?"

She takes one last draft, and then throws away the cig and sighs, exhaling some smoke. "It's a long and rather painful story."

"And I take it has something to do with the Chases."

Rita nods again, her view fixed on the dark clouds on the horizon. At first I think she doesn't want to answer my question, but finally she begins.

 _"It was about ten years ago. I was 22 and the rising star of photography. Every gallery in Western Europe wanted to expose my shots and the next step in my career was to take a foothold in the U.S. But we needed to start with very prestigious, but rather small gallery. My manager had some connections to the Chases and after some chitchat they allowed me a small exposition combined with a soirée in their so called Chase-Space._

 _Honestly, I always hated these events. Rich snobs, feeling proud of themselves, thinking they know shit about art. More than one time I wanted to detonate a bomb and send them all to hell, but sadly, without them, no money, no fame, and no career. So I played along, shook some hands and was more than relieved, when the evening was over. I was so naïve, forgot about my ideals, what it meant to be a punk. All that mattered to me was fame and money._

 _But this evening in Seattle, everything changed in my life. It all started as usual. Shaking hands, chitchat, opening speech and so on. But then I met this girl, 20 years old and she was really cute. Surprisingly, she was very interested in my work and to see someone that young on an event like this is something special, so I kinda stayed at her side a very long time, just to have someone normal to talk to. And with every passing moment I became more and more fond of her. I was even more surprised as I learnt her name, Sonya Chase and she was the one, who introduce me to her aunt and uncle, the owners of the Chase-Space, Victoria's parents._

 _They were surprised too, to learn that I'm Rebow. Victoria's mother didn't even shake my hand; she just looked at me with disgust, like I'm a filthy rat. From this moment on, I knew she meant trouble. And then I met little Victoria, already a little bit spoiled, but a nice girl and a big fan of my work; with 9 years! Sonya and I spent the rest of the evening together, talking about life, photography and other shite; but always under the evil eyes of her aunt. She was a law student at Harvard and spent her holidays in Seattle._

 _As the event was over we wanted to meet each other again, without her aunt watching us the whole time. I had no other plans and so we made a date for the next day, and the day after that and the day after that. On my last day in Seattle I confessed her my feelings. I was scared that she just wanted to stay a friend, but her answer was a big and long kiss._

 _We began a distant relationship and due to my success in the States, I was able to visit her every week a month. She was the best thing that ever happened to me and I realized that there is more in this world than money and fame; I found back to my roots._

 _The years passed on and Sonya was about to finish her law studies. We made big plans of moving together in New York. She, a law attorney and me, the successful photographer. We even had found ourselves an apartment in Manhattan. Everything was perfect; too perfect._

 _Just weeks before moving together, I had another exposition in the Chase-Space and Sonya and I planned to spend this week in Seattle. We tried to be as discrete as possible, so that her family won't suspect anything, until we're living together and are able to make our relationship public._

 _At this time, little Victoria was on the best way to become a woman. She acted so mature, but still, inside she remained a kid, even a geek and I still was her idol. But every time, she tried to talk to me, her mother sent her away. And if this wasn't sad enough, she also caught me and Sonya kissing in the bathroom. After that, everything went to shite._

 _Victoria's mother instantly called Sonya's parents. What followed was a psychological shitstorm. We had no quiet minute anymore, they did everything they could to keep me away from her, even a restraining order. Do you get that, a bloody restraining order! By law I was forbidden to get closer to her than 500 feet! The Chases blackmailed me to fuck up my career, if I ever see her again. And this was the moment, Sonya broke up with me. She said that she doesn't want to be responsible for killing my career. Under tears we promised each other to stay in contact, to be together again, one day. To move to Europe._

 _At first, we stayed in contact every day, then once a week and later, I only received one last letter, telling me that this won't work. I became depressed, tried to reach her, but she changed her phone number. Letters came back with a note, that she doesn't live under this address anymore. I fell into a deep, dark hole, stopped taking photos, took drugs, wasted my money for senseless shite, and hid myself in my apartment. My life was hell; I was drunk on a daily basis. This state lasted for two years._

 _On a morning, some weeks ago, I woke up and started to think about my life. What I did, what I achieved, what I lost and what I could do next. First step was to find and visit Sonya again, to have a final talk, at least. During my research, I found out that she indeed became an attorney in New York, but her name wasn't Chase anymore. She had married some judge and was a mom already. But still, I wanted to visit her one last time and I did._

 _We met secretly in a small Diner out of town. She told me that her current life was a pure façade; that her husband was an asshole, cheating on her; that she missed me. Her family forced her into this marriage to have some connections into the higher levels of the law department. The only thing that kept her going was her daughter Rita. Then it was my turn to tell her about my misery._

 _Eventually, she was sorry that her family ruined everything, but I didn't blame her. This time we promised each other to stay in contact. She wanted to kiss me good bye, but I rejected, telling her that she already has a Rita in her life and that she should be her priority now._

 _On my ride, back to the airport I read a newspaper with an article about what happened here in Arcadia Bay; about Jefferson's arrest and the free position as a teacher for photography. Maybe my career as a photographer was over, but I still could teach some young lads and maybe return one day as a professional photographer. Back in London I started to write an application and got accepted right away, because nobody else wanted it._

 _So here I was, a teacher never meant to be a teacher. And the first person I saw in class was Victoria Chase, the same arrogant look of disgust towards me, like her mother. All the hate about her family that had summed up over the years came up at once, let alone that I was high as Big Ben to overcome my stage fright. Damn, I was sorry about my raging the time I left the classroom."_

"Well, that's the sad story about my last years and the downfall of my career." She reaches inside her pocket to get out another cigarette and lights it.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" Chloe touches her shoulder to comfort her.

"Me, too" I do the same and realize that she isn't as hardcore and bad as I saw her on Monday. In some aspects, she really reminds me of Chloe now; a very soft and sensible core, surrounded by a hard and untouchable shell.

"Max, Chloe. You're two out of four persons who know this story and I want you two to keep it a secret. Nobody cares and nobody else needs to know this shite. Okay?" We both nod in agreement. A drop hits my cheek. Rita takes one last draft, throws away her half-smoked cig and stands up. "Well, we should head bad. Looks like shite weather is coming."

I look to the horizon again, it's darker than before, eating the last rays of sun; flashes are sparkling in the clouds, wind and rain is getting heavier and thunder growls over the ocean.

A storm is coming.


	21. Chapter 21: Storm

**Author's Note: First of all, this will be the last chapter of this story!  
**

 **And then I wanted to talk about the previous chapter. I know, it was rather long and contained a lot of events and informations, but therefor it was also four times longer than the average chapter. I thought about splitting it into smaller ones, but since everything was about self-destruction I kept it that way.  
One reviewer stated that it contained too much drama, but hey, Life is Strange is about drama, hurt, feelings and even things like depression and suicide. So, in order to perform a catastrophe; to bring down the healing world between Max and Chloe; I had to put some more drama into it.**

 **And now, have fun reading the last chapter of _The Third Option_!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Storm**

Since this nightmare-ish week, even the slightest rain scares me, let alone a whole thunderstorm. Thank dog, Chloe knew how to distract me enough, so I didn't freak out.

As we arrived back at Chloe's house, after dropping off Rita at Blackwell, it was already raining cats and dogs and we got drenched on the few feet to the front door. Chloe dragged me into the bathroom without any detour, filled the bathtub with hot water and we took a nice hot bath to warm ourselves up.

After that we went to bed and she cuddled herself onto me. But sadly, it didn't help me finding any sleep, especially not, as she started to snore into my ear. So, I shoved her a bit away from me, lied on my back and waited for the sleep to come. I tried to focus on the monotone beat of the raindrops, hitting the roof, but with every thunder my heart started to race again, making it impossible to focus and finally to calm down. Damn Storm!

I don't know how long I was awake, but eventually the events of the day took their toll and I drifted into an unpeaceful slumber, tainted with more nightmares and worries.

I woke up again by the loud noise of a lightning that struck nearby. And here I lie again, awake and in total darkness. The storm must have damaged the powerline somewhere, because normally Chloe's room is enlightened by the street lamps, but this time the only thing giving lights are the lightnings outside, filling the room for a split second with a blinding brightness.

For a moment, I'm thinking about waking up Chloe, so that I won't be alone all the time, but I decide against it, because she had a rough day too and can be very unpleasant, if she hasn't had enough sleep.

Suddenly I hear the creak of a floorboard, and I spent enough time at Chloe's house to know this one. Someone is inside the room and it can't be Joyce or David, because both of them know better than entering Chloe's room without knocking; let alone at night.

Panic rushes through my body as I search for Chloe's hand. I find and start shaking it. "Chloe! Chloe, wake up!" Nothing. A lightning enlightens the room again and I can see her face; she lies on her back and is still asleep. Now I start shaking her shoulder. "Chloe, please wake up!" Again, nothing; not even a snore.

My panic increases. Normally Chloe snores, when she lies on her back. Something is definitely wrong! I try to turn myself to reach for the baseball-bat on my side of the bed, as another lightning fills the room with a blinding light and I suddenly see a masked face above me. I'm startling and before I can even react, a hand covers my mouth, turning my scream into a quiet mumble, eaten by the sound of the storm. Then I feel a hot sting in my neck and I feel dizzy. My limbs are going numb, one by one. I know this feeling, because I had the same experience in another reality, on the junkyard. Last time I saw Chloe die and couldn't do anything. This time I see her for just a split second in the lightning, before everything turns dark again, but my last thought before everything falls into complete silence is the same as last time: Chloe.

My head feels heavy and hurts like hell as I regain conscious. It's very cold. The sound of the storm is gone. Light comes through my eyelids. Is it already morning? Was it just another nightmare?

I open my eyes and close them instantly again, because the bright light blinds me. It takes me some attempts to keep them open. And as I look around I realize that I'm still captured in a nightmare. Spotlights, camera equipment, white background, tied up to a chair; I'm in the Dark Room again. But some details are different. The room has metal walls, looks dirtier and the equipment is not that fancy; more rudimentary. There is no couch, just a metal chair; the same type I'm tied up to; a desk with a laptop, a camera and some night vision goggles on it; and some cabinets.

I try to keep calm, saying to me that this is just a nightmare, nothing more. But it is very hard, because more than one time I'm sobbing, being on the edge of pure panic. I try to move, but the restrains are holding my limbs in place. There's no chance that I'm able to break them. Despite the warmth, radiated by the spotlights, I'm very cold, because everything I'm wearing are just my pajamas.

As I look around to find a way out, I see Chloe, lying in a corner on the floor. She also wears her pajamas and is still asleep or maybe even death. NO! No, Max! You mustn't think like this! She's alive, she has to! "Chloe!" Nothing. "Chloe, please wake up!" Still nothing, not even a faint sound. I can't even see if she's still breathing.

"Don't worry, Max. She's alive."

This voice! This most hated, lecturing voice! I turn my head and look into the eyes of the man I once trusted, but now despite with all my soul! "Jefferson!"

He just stands there, watching me, a smile on his face. "Hmm, you don't seem surprised to see me?"

How could I? This is the second time he kidnapped me. My panic's completely vanished, replaced by hate and anger. "Why?"

His smile grows wider and he chuckles. "Typical Max, always nosy and full of questions." Then he moves towards me. "Normally I would let you guess, but since I'm on a tight schedule, I just tell you." As he stands in front of me, his head comes close to mine. His voice is cold and soft, like he wants to whisper in my ear. "You are my masterpiece!"

This answer hits me ice cold. "What?"

He tightens himself and walks up and down in front of me, now the lecture begins. "The project I'm working on is about light and shadow, sin and innocence of a person; how it is naturally radiated. For example, Victoria radiated pure sin, but Kate Marsh was pure innocence. Well, until I took it from her to capture the process. This was pure art, but also too extreme."

"You are sick!"

He ignores me and continues. "But you, you are both! On the one side an innocent child, shut-in, quiet, nice, carrying. On the other side, you act mature, telling people your opinion, defend others against harm and don't hesitate to make your hands dirty for them. The perfect mixture to experiment with, but sadly I never had the chance to come close to you. I counted on you, participating on the Everyday Hero contest. I would've let you win and the rest would've been a walk in the park. But then this idiot Nathan shot you. I thought I'd lost you, was ready to give up the whole project, but then my lawyer handed me a testimony, signed by you. And this was the time I developed a plan, to catch you, right after my lawyers got me out of prison and before leaving this country. And now, here we are!"

At this point I feel so desperate. Chloe was right; we never should've gone to the summons. If we just had waited this out, Jefferson would've left the country and never returned.

"Now, now. Don't be sad, Max." He smiles and walks over to me, trying to touch my face, but I turn my head away. His smile fades and he walks over to the small desk. "I thought you'd be happy to work on a project with me, especially as my model. We will have a lot of fun and you're gonna be a star. Well, not as photographer anymore, but it's better than nothing, right? To tell the truth, you were never meant to be a world-class-photographer. True, you've got a lot of talent, but you just lack a strong personality and after we're finished taking the shots…"

"…you're gonna kill us. Like you killed Rachel Amber!"

He smiles and answers without any empathy in his voice. "Yes. Well, you saw me and I don't need any witnesses. I'm sorry. And no, I didn't kill Rachel."

"Yes you did. You killed her and then buried her body on the junkyard."

Now he turns around and starts yelling at me. "I DIDN'T KILL HER!" Breathing in deeply he tries to calm down. "It was Nathan, he overdosed her. I told this idiot that this new drug needed a lower dosage, because it was so potent, but he gave her a full shot. All that I could do was to take the shots as fast as possible, before she died. You know how hard it is to perform art under such pressure?" Now he smiles at me again. "But I did it. Her shots were perfect."

"Are you even listening to yourself? She died and all you did was worrying about your damn pictures. You're insane! And what good will it do to you, to take these pictures of me? All the other pictures are evidences and in the hands of the police, out of your reach!"

"Ha! Do you really think I'm so stupid to make no copies of my work? My pictures are saved on at least three servers, plus some flash drives. The binders were just some paperwork, but nothing I couldn't do again."

"The police will find our bodies and all the evidences will eventually lead to you."

"Yes, maybe. It was pretty easy to put all the blame on Nathan and the Prescott-family. Granted, since Nathan is in a psychiatric ward, he couldn't have killed you two. But this requires that the police will ever find your bodies in time to put a connection to me." Now he comes over to me again, a camera in his hands. He grins at me again. "Nobody knows about this second room here, not even Nathan or the Prescotts; just the three of us. So, if the police actually find your decayed bodies, I'll be sitting in a nice café in Paris, sipping on an espresso, reading the news."

So, no police, no justice. Our deaths will be in vain. We would just be some victims of a crime that will never be solved and soon be forgotten. I can't…no, I won't accept it; not after I saved Chloe and stopped the storm! No! "Believe me, Jefferson, you're gonna pay!"

He keeps on smiling, completely ignoring my threat. "We will see. Now, enough chitchat, we've got some work to do and I have a plane to catch. At first I will make some test shots to check the lighting and the composition between you and the background. So, hold still!"

I wish I could move to ruin every shot, but I'm strapped so tight to the chair that this is impossible. Jefferson walks around me, taking some shots, mumbling something as he looks at the display of the camera.

But something is wrong. With every shot he gets more and more nervous, cursing at the cam. "No, no, no! This is all wrong! Where did it go?" With an angry expression he looks directly into my face, I hold his look. Sometimes I wish my look could kill. "What did you change?" I still counter his look. "Where is your fucking innocence? Everything is wrong!" He walks around and gets more and more furious, yelling at the display. Suddenly, he stops, looking over to me and as he reaches me again, he pulls on the right arm of my shirt. The fabric rips, exposing my tattoo and almost my breast.

I shriek. "You perverted bastard!"

"What is this? A tattoo?!" His eyes widen as he looks at me again in unbelief. "Someone messed around with you. Someone took away your innocence." Now his look gets mad again, borderlining insanity. "Who did it, Max? Who fucked around with you?"

"It's none of your business, you son of a bitch!" My voice is cold, but also dripping with malicious joy. I really enjoy this moment. His work is ruined and this is all I wanted!

"Oh, so you won't tell me? Well, maybe this will tell me, what I need to know!" He walks over to the desk and shows me my diary. This insane asshole took my diary, too! My shocked face tells him instantly that he has the right item in his hand and so he starts searching the pages. "Let's see. Was it this stupid little nerd? What was his name? Warren? No, he never would've touched you, even if you would've invited him. Maybe one of those Vortex Club fuckers? No, they're not your type. So, who?"

I just hope that he doesn't read any parts of this diary or else it would reveal my powers to him. Suddenly a picture falls out of the book. I can see that it is a picture of me and Chloe I took today, showing us kissing.

Jefferson picks it up and his head turns towards Chloe. "Her!? Max, you're full of surprises!" He walks over to her, slowly. "So you did it?" And then he starts kicking her. "You…" Kick. "…damn…" Kick. "…bitch…" Kick. "…fucked…" Kick. "…her…" Kick. "…up!"

Every kick hurts me like he's kicking me and I barely can watch it. "STOP IT, YOU CRAZY BASTARD!" Tears are flowing down my face. With every kick Chloe groaned and know she lies there, like a beaten puppy.

He tightens himself again, breathing heavy. "I'm sorry, for losing my temper. But you have no idea, how frustrating it is, when your work is ruined by someone like this. It makes you furious, but it won't be your problem anymore, because now, you're worthless to me." He reaches into his pocket and takes out a syringe. Walking over to me he takes off the cap. "Sadly, our work has come to a quicker end than I wished. I hope you're not mad, but I'm not good in last words. So, good bye, Max."

I just stare at him. If I could, I would choke him with my bare hands. "Go to hell!"

As he tries to stick the needle into my neck I see some movement behind him. "Yippie-ka-yay, motherfucker!" Jefferson turns around and a folded aluminum tripod, swung by Chloe, hits his face with full force on the right side. He is thrown to the left, hits the ground hard and doesn't move anymore.

"Chloe!"

She forces a smile on me, but I see that she's in pain. "Here to save the day!"

"Quick, unbind me before he wakes up again!"

"Yeah, right." She throws away the tripod and searches for a sharp tool to cut my restrains, holding her left side with one arm. She returns with a scissor and starts cutting. "C'mon, let's get the fuck out of here!"

I take one last look at Jefferson, who bleeds from a big wound on the side of his head and hope that he never gets up again! And then we head for the door. It is open and leads to a dark passageway made of concrete, only enlightened by a few old lamps. We follow it as fast as possible, passing old carts and crates. The concrete looks old, water runs in thin veins across it. It smells like something died in here.

It is damn cold. I have no feeling in my bare feet anymore. With every step Chloe gets slower and slower, until I need to support her. She's in a really bad shape, breathes heavily and moans with every step.

Finally we reach some stairs, leading upwards. I can see the flashes and hear the sounds of the thunderstorm. We're almost out of here! Suddenly a loud BANG rips through the darkness and Chloe falls to the ground, screaming, holding her right shoulder.

I turn around and gasp in shock as I look into the bloodstained face of Jefferson, grimaced by anger and pain, aiming a gun at us. "You damn bitches! Look what you have done! How am I supposed to get on a plane like this, huh? This shirt is ruined and I have to find someone, who can stitch this crap until morning." He comes closer, gun still pointed at Chloe. "Thought you can get away this easy, huh?" then he lunge out and hits me with the gun on my cheek. It hurts like hell and I'm thrown back to the wall. Stars and lights are playing in front of my view; it's hard to stay conscious, but I manage to focus. Now he aims for Chloe's head. She just stares down the barrel. "I should've killed you right away! Well, a mistake I'll correct now."

Time starts to flow slower again. His finger squeezes the trigger more and more. Is this it? Was every sacrifice I made in vain? I close my eyes; I don't want to see it. All I manage to do is to scream. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And then, there is silence. I wait for the shot, but nothing happens, just perfect silence.

I open my eyes again and see the same scenery than before. Jefferson aiming at Chloe, but they aren't moving. It just looks like a bizarre monument. This all reminds me of the one moment I stopped time to save Katie from jumping off the roof of the dormitory. But I don't recall using my powers. Last time, triggering them took me a while and my head hurt like hell. This time it just happened and my head is fine, except my swollen and hurting cheek.

"Hello, Max!"

I startle, because of this unfamiliar, female voice and turn around. Then I startle again, as I look into a familiar face; a face I saw maybe a thousand times, but not in person, just on a lot of posters, printed by Chloe.

"Rachel? Rachel Amber?" I walk closer to her, just to be sure that my eyes don't play any tricks on me.

She smiles. "Oh, yeah. Right. You never saw me before, sorry! Yup, it's me."

"But how? I mean, you're…"

"Dead?" I nod. "Yeah, I know. But in another reality I never died."

"Wait, another reality? How is this possible? I mean, I visited some other realities, but in each and every one you were dead and…"

"Let me stop you right there. Max, first of all, there are an infinite number of realities; for each decision of every single organism ever alive at least one. So, there may be some realities where I'm still alive. But you never visited any other reality."

"What? But I did. I mean there was the one, where I won the Everyday Hero contest, and then the other one, where Chloe was paralyzed. And then this one…"

"No, sadly not. You always stayed in your reality, but every time you changed the past, you overwrote the previous one."

At first I don't want to belief her, but why should she lie to me? Maybe she is right. Maybe I just changed my own reality. But does it matter now? Other reality or not, Chloe is about to die again and I need to help her. But I also want to know how it is possible for Rachel to be here. "How did you get here? Did you stop the time?"

She smiles warmly at me. It's that kind of smile that can melt whole icecaps or make someone fall in love with you in an instant. No wonder, Chloe had a major crush on her. "Well, that's a rather long story."

I want to know the truth. No more lies, no more mysterious crap. "Tell me!"

"Yes, I stopped time to have a talk with you."

Is she cereal? Chloe is about to get shot, I'm freezing to death and she wants to talk? Now I'm getting angry. "What talk?"

Her voice gets serious. "About your powers." Now she's got my full attention. "Max, did you ever wonder, where these visions about the storm came from?"

"The visions, the blue butterfly, the doe; It was you the whole time!" She nods. "Why?"

"I wanted to warn you. Warn you about these fucking powers, about what could happen, if you use them. Max, I possess them too. In my reality Chloe died because of a car accident while we three where on a trip in Seattle. She was run over by some drunken asshole. At this moment I discovered my powers, like you did. I rewound time and saved her. And like you, I experimented with them, without thinking about the consequences. Stranger things happened with every ongoing day. A week later a massive storm flood hit the whole west coast; thousands of people died. Because of an inner feeling, I knew that these events where linked with the usage of my powers. I told you and Chloe about them and we three did some research and found out that instead of Chloe this drunken fucker drove into a group of school kids; eleven of them died. Chloe was devastated as she found out; said that her life wasn't worth eleven kids. She wanted me to travel back in time to let her die, in order to save those kids, like a real hero." Rachel stops for a moment to take a deep breath. "Of cause, you were against it, because in my reality, she was your girlfriend too. But Chloe was adamant about her decision and I found a way to travel back and change the event. So, I let her die and as I returned to the present, all these strange events and the storm flood never occurred. This was the ultimate proof that my powers where responsible for the death of a lot of people and like you, I swore to myself, never to use them, ever again. But the fatality of this decision hit me a few days later. Chloe's death hit me hard, but not as hard as it hit you. You didn't want to talk anymore, were completely depressed the whole time and finally killed yourself by jumping off the roof of the dormitory."

Instantly I gasp. There are so many similarities between these realities. Chloe's death; we two being a couple; suicide by jumping off the dormitory roof. Is this all just a coincidence or are these cruel events are linked together? It almost seems like Rachel took my position in this other reality. "So, what did you do?"

"I lost my two best friends in a bit more than a week and couldn't do shit about it! I was on my own with these fucking vast powers which couldn't save anybody and this all depressed me like shit, I locked myself into my room and started to think; did some meditation, messed around with time a bit more; tried everything to save the both of you, but every time I fucked up. During this messing around with time I somehow ended up between the realties and couldn't get back. Between realities, time is of no essence. Past, future and present are existing at the same moment. After what felt like a century, I saw a bright light and I followed it, ending up in this reality; at your side. I saw everything. You, Chloe, Jefferson, my death, the consequences and I couldn't just watch you, doing the same mistakes I did. So, I decided to send you some massages, but whatever I showed you, you kept on going, until it was almost too late and you had to make the same hard decision; save Chloe and kill a lot of other people or let fate run its course and restore the balance. None of them is right; both of them suck big time. As in my reality, Chloe wanted to sacrifice herself for the greater good and you were willing to grand her this last wish. But then something happened. Something I never thought was possible. You managed something I never could. You found a third option. You saved everyone!"

"And almost got myself killed." I add with a scoff.

"But you didn't die. You survived, along with everyone else."

"And I don't even know, why. I mean, yeah, I saved Chloe, but it was more out of desperation and I still used my powers."

"It's all about events, Max; not these powers. As long as an event occurs, the changes to your timeline will be minimal. But if you stop an event, like the gunshot in the restroom, the damage will be too severe to just be balanced out by the universe, leading to anomalies, like strange animal behavior or even a storm. It's a chain reaction. The stronger the changes, the more severe will be the anomalies."

It takes some time to let her words sink into my mind; to get them together. I never saw it that way, but how could I know? In less than 5 days things went from bad to worse. My powers developed faster than I could keep thinking about them. "Let me get this straight. If I prevent this shot, everything will go to hell again?"

Rachel nods. "I looked into the future and preventing Chloe's death will cause a tsunami that will hit Arcadia Bay and all other towns and cities on the west coast. Thousands will die."

And here I am again, facing a decision I thought I would never have to make again; Chloe or a lot of innocent people. My life isn't even in my consideration. If Chloe dies, I want to die too. Nothing will ever take us apart again! But still, I feel so desperate. I don't want to decide; I want them all to live, except one person. "What happens to Jefferson, after he killed us?"

"He gets shot at the airport, because he'll be about to get caught, gets nervous and is shot by the authorities as he tries to take a hostage in order to leave the country. But if you stop him now, he will escape, because you two survived he will stay under the radar and leaves the country, continuing his project elsewhere, torturing and killing more people." Rachel sighs. "I know, this is fucking heavy and I wish I could show you another way, but there isn't. Max, do yourself a favor and accept Chloe's fate this time."

"NO!" I know she's just a messenger, but hearing those words make me so angry. The decision is simple, the choice is clear, but I can't…no…I won't accept this. There has to be another way. I'm not ready to let her go. She's my fate; she's my only reason to live. "I'm not ready to accept it!"

She walks over to Chloe. "Look at her, Max. She looks awful, is severely injured, there's the possibility that she won't survive the night, even if you save her right now."

My anger turns into desperation again, but suddenly some words, I heard in a dream before, come back into my mind and I whisper them to myself. "In the end, someone has to die." That's it! "There is another way!"

Rachel seems like she understood me. "No Max, please don't do this to yourself."

Kneeling down beside Chloe I start to pet her cheek. I'm calm now, at peace. I made my decision. "Rachel, whatever decision I make, I'm doomed. Chloe was the only thing that kept me going all the time. Without her, I'll break into pieces. I didn't choose these damn powers, they choose me and now I have to do what is necessary." I stand up again and smile at Rachel. "Thanks for your advices and comforting words. I understand now, why Chloe liked you so much."

Rachel doesn't smile, she starts to cry. "I'm so sorry, Max. I wish I could've done more." She walks over to me for a big hug.

"Don't be. You did everything and helped me a lot." We stop hugging. Then I walk over to Jefferson and take the gun out his hand. "Hey, Rachel! What are you doing next?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe I stay at your side."

"Is there a possibility to, well, materialize into our reality?"

"I don't know, I haven't found out everything yet, but I'll try."

I smile at her again. "Do that, I'd love to have you as a friend!"

"Thanks, Max. Good luck! Give Chloe some regards from me." I nod. "Are you ready?"

I take position and nod again. "As I'll ever be. See you around!"

And within a blink of an eye she's gone and the sounds of the storm are back. Time is flowing normal again.

Jefferson looks in his empty hand, where his gun has been moments ago. "Where the hell is…" Then he looks at me, staring down the same barrel Chloe did. "How's this possible?!"

Chloe looks at me in awe, but also a bit confused, like she's about to pass out any moment. "Max?"

But I don't answer her, my focus stays on Jefferson, whose eyes mirror some panic. "Okay Max, don't do anything stupid. Put down the gun."

"SHUT UP!" Anger boils inside of me again and I let it flow through my whole body. My voice is bitter. I have to focus not to cry as every bad memory comes up again; everything I tried to forget the past weeks. "You wanted to know, who changed me? You wanted to know, who took my innocence? It was you, you son of a bitch." I can't suppress a sob. "You nearly drove Katie into suicide. You killed Rachel Amber."

"Now wait, I didn't kill her…"

"Yes, you did. It was you and you alone! You also killed Chloe."

"But, she's still alive…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Tears are running down my cheeks. My finger squeezes the trigger a bit. "For one week you made my life a living hell, by doing all this and now you kidnapped me again."

With every word he gets more and more nervous. Sweat runs down his forehead. His voice shivers and is full of insecurity. "Okay, these are the drugs talking. Now, put down the gun and just talk."

I take aim. "NO!" Squeeze the trigger a bit more. "No more talking. No more lecturing. Only Justice! Justice for Rachel! Justice for Katie! Justice for Chloe! Justice for every victim of yours!" His eyes widen even more, dwelling with panic. I squeeze the trigger with delight and as the shot breaks it feels like an avalanche of rocks falls from my soul.

Jefferson stares at me in shock as his brain tries to process the fact that a bullet went right through it. His pupils are rolling back and after some seconds he sinks to the ground. I look down at his body, feeling and thinking nothing; no remorse, no guilt, no emotions; just nothing.

I throw the gun away and walk over to Chloe, helping her up. She doesn't say anything. There is nothing to say.

We climb up the stairs. Chloe gets heavier with every step and as we reach the top I'm almost not able to hold her anymore. "Okay Max, stopstopstop!" She sits down, leaning on the wall. "I can't go any further."

"What? No! We need to get out of here."

She smiles at me with a pain grimaced face. "Max, I can't barely stand, let alone walk. Every step hurts like fuck and I'm all dizzy and shit. You need to go on without me."

I shake my head. "No, I won't leave you!"

She takes my arm. "Max, how are we supposed to get out of here and through that storm out there with me in this shape? You're faster alone. Go. Get help. I stay here and try to stay alive, okay?"

At first I want to give in, but then I remember what I did to keep her at my side. "No! I'm gonna get us the fuck out of here! Just give me a minute."

We are in a big hall. It's dark in here. Now and then some flashes enlighten the building. My eyes need some time to adapt. Old machines are standing around, unused for many years. Everything's dirty, nothing's useful.

Suddenly a reflection catches my eye. I take a closer look and stand in front of Jefferson's car. Score! But the first euphoria is quickly destroyed as I try to open the driver's door. Locked. Dammit!

Jefferson must have the keys. I run back through the hall and see Chloe leaning at the wall, her head resting on her collar bone, shirt soaked in blood. Oh no. "Chloe!" I shake her shoulders. "Please, wake up!"

She groans in pain. "Ugh, chillax, Max! I'm still alive and focus on not to cry like a baby."

A smile runs over my lips. Even in situations like this she's cool. "You dork scared me shitless!"

Now she tries to smile, but her pain seems to be stronger, so it's just a grimace. "Sorry!"

"I found a way out of here. Just wait here!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

I head down the stairs, taking two steps at the time and reach Jefferson's body. A puddle of blood has formed around his head, like a horrifying corona. It disgusts me to touch him, but I have to. In his right pocket I find the keys. Now back to Chloe.

Hauling her to the car becomes an act of pain and desperation. She's barely able to hold herself on her feet, so I've to carry her almost completely. I'm getting colder every second; my muscles don't want to listen to me anymore. With all my left strength I lean her against the side of the car, open it and prepare the passenger's seat for her, tug her in and fasten the seatbelt around her. In the cockpit light of the car she looks pale and weaker.

Chloe coughs and blood starts to flow out of her mouth. She wipes it with her hand and looks at it. "Okay, that's not good."

Shit! I hurry and open the big doors of the building. The strong winds blow the cold rain inside and drench me with icy water. Normally I would shiver like hell, but my body's so full of adrenalin that I don't feel the coldness anymore. Chloe's everything that counts!

I sit myself behind the wheel and start the car, putting the pedal to the metal. With squealing tires we leave this godforsaken place.

The storm doesn't seem to have lost its strength. It's still raining cats and dogs. The wind blows so heavy that sometimes I have the feeling it wants to stop us. The headlights only enlighten some yards in front of the car before the light is getting all sucked up by darkness.

As we reach a crossroads I have to punch the break hard. Chloe moans a bit, but she's almost completely zonked out. Damn.

I see a sign in front of us, pointing left, reading PIER 2. We're at the harbor. But how do we get out of here and to the hospital? I take a deep breath and try to remember every important location of Arcadia Bay, drawing a map inside of my mind.

Okay, the Pier is to the left, so the ocean has to be at our left, therefor the town and the main street has to be to the right. Our journey continuous, until we reach a fence. Behind it, the main street. But it's too massive to just crash through it, I have to find a gate. And a few minutes later we reach it; locked of cause. Goddammit! There is no other solution; we need to get through there!

I back off the car some distance and take Chloe's hand, it's ice-cold, her breath is shallow, her pulse faint. She's not much time left. I put in the gear, hold the wheel with both hands and punch it.

With 40 Miles per hour we crash through the gates. The car rocks, the windshield cracks, but stays intact. It takes a lot of work to keep the car under control, but I manage and we fly over the main street with high speed, evading some fallen branches and scrap.

Suddenly the streetlights turn on again. Power's back online. And now I see where we are. The hospital is not far away. "Hold on, Chloe!"

There it is the hospital's driveway. I punch the gas again and need to make a full break, so we won't crash through the front door.

The car comes to a certain stop a few feet from the slide door and I jump out to open the passenger's door. A guard already comes out the front door and starts yelling against the heavy winds. "Are you of your mind? You almost hit the front door!"

I look at him desperately. "Help! My friend! She's been injured."

He doesn't ask any further questions or wastes any more time as he looks into the car. The guard unbuckles Chloe, gets her out of the car and carries her into the lobby of the hospital. "We have an emergency here! Get a gurney, ASAP!"

Suddenly the quiet hospital comes to life. Doctors are called via PA, medical personal rushes into the lobby from all sides. Chloe's put on a gurney. A doctor cuts her shirt open and starts to analyze her while she gets rolled away; I try to follow. "We have a gunshot wound, multiple traumas, broken rips, a punctured lung, maybe internal bleeding. Pulse is weak, breath shallow. I need an OR prepped and ready." The doctor looks at me. "You stay here!"

The door to the surgery department of the hospital closes in front of me and I'm alone. All the life that came in here so quickly disappeared together with my Chloe. Silence takes over again. Chloe's save now, in good hands. Your job is done, Max. Nothing you can do anymore.

As if I my thoughts gave my body a command, the adrenalin vanishes. Coldness and exhaustion are taking over. I start to shiver. Water drips from my soaked clothes and has already built a puddle under my feet. My legs can't hold me anymore. I collapse, landing on my knees.

Now all the emotions, the fear, the anger, the guilt and the despair from this night are rushing over me like a tsunami; I can't hold them back any longer. A loud cry breaks the silence as I leave out every emotional pain.

A nurse comes over and tugs me into a blanked, leading me into a small room with a bed. She dresses me into some dry clothes, then tugs me into bed and brings me a mug of hot coffee. After she left, the room is quiet again, only my sobs are a frequent sound. I don't know for how long I keep on crying, but I'm relieved as sleep finally embraces me with its silent darkness.

I don't know for how long I was asleep, but as I open my eyes again, a doctor stands beside my bed, taking some notes on a clipboard. He looks young and very cute for a man. His well-trimmed beard frames his smile at me, as he notices that I'm awake.

"How long was I knocked out?"

The doctor takes a look at his watch. "Well, it's now been three hours. Miss Caulfield, I'm Dr. Stanston."

"Just call me Max." Shit, this came out wrong. Chill, Max. He may be cute, but you have a girlfriend who's fighting for her life right now.

His smile gets wider. "Okay, Max then. Well…Max…You suffered some hypothermia along with some bruises on your wrists and feet; plus a pretty bad hematoma on your cheek, but no broken bones. As soon as the police asked you some questions, you're free to go."

I startle. "The police?"

He shrugs. "Well, it isn't pretty normal that two young girls in pajamas, one of them almost shot and clubbed to death, arrive at the hospital. We have to report all gunshot wounds to the police, so…"

"…they want to now more."

"Exactly!"

"How's Chloe?"

"Who? Oh, you mean the other girl. She's still in the OR. Looks pretty bad."

His answer hits me like a hammer. Figures for a doctor: sweet on the outside; emotional asshole on the inside. _Looks pretty bad_ doesn't sound positive. Am I losing her again? Was everything in vain? Tears are building up in my eyes again.

Dr. Stanston sees my lip shiver. "Oh, no, no, no. I didn't mean it that way! Well, she is in bad shape, but we have our best surgeons on it. Believe me; she'll be okay in no time."

He puts a faithful smile on and I nod. But never the less I start to cry again. Oh Chloe, I'm so sorry.

Stanston wants to leave me alone and I appreciate it. He opens the door, but stops before leaves. "By the way, there are a Joyce and David Madsen, who want to see you. Should I let them in?"

Joyce! David! I nod at him and he smiles back.

Moments later Joyce and David enter the room and after Joyce hugged me with a lot of tears, they ask me what happened and I tell them everything, except how Jefferson died.

Both stay silent until I finish the story. David starts taking the blame on himself, because the security system of the house failed due to the thunderstorm. Chloe's mom and I comfort him. He did everything he could; sadly it wasn't enough to prevent all this from happening.

As they want to leave for the cafeteria I stop David. At least I need to talk with someone about the blood on my hands, before confessing it to the police, and David, a veteran, seems the right person.

"David, can we talk in private?"

Joyce nods reassuring and leaves the room. David closes the door and we're alone.

There is no way to tell someone the easy way, so I just go the whole distance. "I killed him."

"Who?"

"Jefferson. I shot him. That's how we managed to escape." Remembering the last moment, how life left Jefferson's body, makes me cry again. I feel so guilty. Yes, he was a bad man, but does it justify killing him?

David lays his hand on my thigh; he's not good at emotional things, but he tries and that's what counts for me. "Max, it was self-defense. It was either you or him. Nobody will ever blame you."

"But I blame myself. His blood is on my hands. I could've shot him in the leg or the arm. But instead, I aimed for his head and pulled the trigger; like I wanted to do this. I wanted him to die. I'm a murderer." My last words are more yelled than spoken and I bury my face into my hands and start to sob again.

He sighs. "Max, are soldiers murderer?"

I look at him with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Some people say, soldiers are murderer, because we kill people in war. Do you think the same?"

Shaking my head I now lay my hand on his. "No, you are no murderer."

"Then why do I feel sometimes like I'm a killer on the loose?"

Chloe told me some day that David has PTSD due to his combat experience, but she also said that he never talked about it.

"Max, what I'm telling you now I've never told anyone before; not even Joyce and I want it to keep it that way." I nod in agreement. "My unit was involved in some house-to-house combat in Fallujah. It wasn't our first op in this fucking war, so everybody knew what to do, resulting in a very fast pace. I lost contact with my unit during the heavy fights, so my priority was to reach the next checkpoint and regroup. Somewhere on the way I ran into a boy, maybe a few years younger than you. He carried a gun and a shitload of ammunition for the enemy. As soldier you learn to react, not to think, and that was what I did, I reacted. Two bullets in the chest, one in the head and I was back on my way to the checkpoint.  
After we were back at the HQ, the boy was the only thing I could think about. His face; the fear in his eyes as I aimed at him. These pictures haunted me for days. I couldn't sleep anymore. Cried for hours and hours. My CO sent me to a psychologist; diagnosis: PTSD, period. He gave me some pills, assured me that I did the right thing, that the law was on my side and cleared me for active duty.  
The law was clear. Every person in a combat zone, carrying a weapon, is a combatant and therefor a target. But the law gives a shit about age or how you should live with the guilt; so does the army. As they noticed that my disorder couldn't be cured with some medicine, they relieved me of duty, gave me some addresses for some specialists and that's it.  
After some therapy I learned to live with the guilt. Yes, I shot the boy. Yes, I have his blood on my hands. Was it wrong to shoot him instead of knocking him unconscious? Maybe. But what happened, happened. It was war and I defended myself. Period." He looks deep into my eyes. "Max, what you had to do is terrible, especially at your age, but it was necessary in order to survive. You were under a lot of stress. He kidnapped you and Chloe, beat her almost to death, so you reacted. Tell this to the police and they'll understand."

His words make sense, but they don't comfort me, not really. But they show me, what he went through and what it did to him; that he survived and lived on. He's the bravest person, besides Chloe, I know and he's everything but a step-douche.

I give him a warm smile. "Thanks David!"

He nods. "We're in the waiting room. Care to join us for a hot coffee and something to bite, and wait for news?"

I nod, take the blanket with me and head with David to the waiting room, which was, except of Joyce, empty.

We spent the next two hours in silence. A few times I dozed off, but eventually woke up some minutes later. Everything in my body hurts, but I don't want to lie down and sleep, not until I know more about Chloe's condition.

Finally a doctor comes into the room. We all stand up and walk over to him.

"How is she?" Joyce's voice is full with concern.

"She's stable for now, but sadly fell into a coma during the surgery. We managed to stop the internal bleedings and fixed her punctured lungs, but we weren't able to save her uterus, it was damaged too much. She lost a lot of blood, it's almost a miracle she was still alive as she arrived here."

Hearing the details about her injuries made Joyce cry, while burying her head into David's shoulder. I know in what bad shape she was, but still it almost hit me with full force to hear it, although it should comfort me that she's alive. "When will she wake up?"

The doctor shrugs. "We don't know. It can be tomorrow or in a year. It is possible that she won't wake up ever again."

Another emotional asshole. Joyce cries even more now. Thank you, Dr. Dickhead! "Can we see her?"

Dr. Dickhead puts a forced smile on his face. "No, she's still in postop, but tomorrow…"

Fuck this, I want to see her! I walk past him, out of the waiting room and head for surgery.

"HEY!" The doctor walks past me and blocks the door to the surgery section of the hospital. "This section is off-limit for non-medical personal. You have to wait until we transferred her into her room." Ignoring him, I try to walk around, but he holds my arm tight, hurting me. "Miss, if you try this again, I will call security."

Burning anger rises inside of me again. "Then call them, asshole." With these words I grab his wrist and turn it with a quick movement. He cries out in agony, but gets silent as my fist hits his face. Blazing pain rushes through my hand, but I ignore it and start to run into surgery.

The postop-rooms look all the same. Thank dog, they all have windows build into their doors, so I can take a small glimpse in every passing room before heading on to the next. I may have merely some minutes, before security finds me and throws me out of the hospital.

Most of the rooms are empty, not worth a closer look. But some are occupied, but it's hard to see something. Suddenly I see a glimpse of blue hair.

After I entered the room I stand some moments in front of the bed and stare at Chloe. She's wrapped up in some bandages. Cables and tubes are leading from her body to a lot of machines. Seeing her like this; so fragile; so broken; make me cry again. I did this. It is my fault.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe!" My voice shakes and is merely a whisper.

Suddenly someone embraces my shoulders. "You saved her, Max." It's Joyce.

I shake my head. "No, it's my entire fault. Jefferson just wanted me, not her. If I…"

"If he had captured you alone, you would be dead by now and Chloe would've lost another friend. Worse, she would've lost her fiancée." She turns my face towards hers to look deep into my eyes. "Max, you didn't ask for this to happen. It was not your fault! Jefferson did this to her and he paid for messing around with her. She was strong for you and now we have to be strong for her." Then she pulls me closer and hugs me.

I heard these words before. Chloe said similar things to me about my powers. Damn, sometimes I feel like this whole fucking universe is laughing at me, feeding on my emotional pain.

After several minutes of crying I look at my Chloe again. "Well, I better say good bye, security will be here soon."

"I took care of them." David enters the room and I can see the sadness in his eyes as he looks at Chloe. It's almost the same sadness as I told him about Chloe's death in the other timeline, thankfully Jefferson's not around anymore. Then he continues. "The chief of security is a good buddy of mine and couldn't stand this asshole you send to the ground anyway. His report will say that he fell, cracked his hand and landed on his face." He smirks and I smirk back. "How's your hand?"

"Hurts like hell."

Joyce takes a closer look. "C'mon sweetie, we put some ice on it."

"Can I have a minute?" Both nod and leave the room. Then I stand in front of the bed again, holding Chloe's left hand. "I promise that I'll be at your side as often as possible. I won't leave you, never again!" I bend over and give her a kiss on her cheek. "Please, wake up soon, I'm waiting for you, so don't bail on me, my future wife! I love you!"

Before letting go of her hand, I could've sworn that it moved, but Chloe keeps on sleeping. But now I have hope. Hope for us, hope for our future.

* * *

 **End Notes: Well, this is it. The End.**

 **Yes, I know, it has a big ass cliffhanger and I'm sorry for that! I tried for some time to write another chapter or two, but always ended up questioning them. I was never satisfied. So, before messing things up, I decided to let the story end here; open, without a happy end, but with a glimpes of hope.  
But, since I'm still struggling with myself, I'm more than willing to end the story properly with a bonus chaper, if you want it! It would take some time, since I'm focusing on my other story _Martial Max_ right now, but somehow I'll manage, eventually.**

 **I also want to thank everyone, who faved, followed and reviewed this story! It always gave me the feeling that it was the right thing to publish this story; to share it with you. I hope you enjoyed you!**


	22. Chapter 22: Presents

**Author's Note: Well, I took your wishes for some more chapters seriously and finally managed to write the next one! Yay me!**

 **But: This won't become an umpteenth chapter story with nearly a million words and stuff. Sorry, but this is definite. I have a lot of other ideas in my head and sooner or later I want to write them down, but time and motivation are some real bitches here. I rather end a story then abandone it midway and this is what I wanna do. There will be probably 2 more chapters to give this story a proper ending and that's it. But I thought about writing a Prequel...Pre-Sequel...or what-the-f-ever-quel...a story that is linked with this one.**

 **Okay, enough jibberjabber. Have fun reading the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Presents**

Chloe once told me, it was hell waiting for her dad to come home, but eventually he never did. Waiting for someone to awake out of a coma feels similar. Sure, you still got hope, because your loved one is still alive, but a doctor told me, that coma-patients can die from one moment to the other and this fact scared the shit out of me.

But I kept my promise. I stayed with Chloe every day; every minute I could spare. At first 24/7, but as days turned into weeks and weeks into months, it became nearly impossible for me to keep it up. Classes, homework, projects, contests, trials and other things kept me busy. I skipped a lot of classes to get as much time for Chloe as possible. Although Principle Wells and some teachers did not agree with it completely, Kate did and gave me all her notes and delivered me all homework, so at least I could learn in hospital, while watching over my fiancée.

It's now been over four and a half months since this horrible night and I'm breeding over some math-homework Kate brought me an hour ago.

I'm stuck with an equation and can't suppress a curse. "Damn equation, why can't you just solve yourself, you stupid fuck?"

"Still sucking at math, huh?"

"As if you ever loved this shit, Miss I-hate-math." At first I'm too zoned out to even notice this sweet voice I missed so much, and just answered out of reaction, but after a moment I drop my pen, rise my head and look into a pair of deep blue eyes; eyes which I haven't seen for so long. "CHLOE!" I jump to my feet, run over to her bed and start hugging her. "You're awake, you're finally awake!"

Tears are running down my cheeks in a constant stream, I sob and hold her even tighter until she starts to knock at my back. "Okay-okay-okay…down Max! I need to breathe."

I try to calm down, but it's hard for me. I missed her so much! "S-sorry."

She rubs her chest. "Damn, tight grip, girl!" She smirks. "Wow, it's like you haven't seen me in years!"

In the meanwhile I calmed down a bit and start holding her hand. "Make it over four months."

Her smirk disappears and is replaced by a shocked expression. "Over FOUR months?! You're shitting me, right?"

I shake my head. "No, you fell into a coma during surgery and just woke up."

Chloe lies there in silence, staring at the ceiling. It has to be a hard for her to handle all this. Then she looks at me again and smirks. "You finally changed your style, hippie."

After everything that happened, it was hard for me to uphold my former self. I knew, I've changed on the inside and so I decided to change my outside too. I cut my hair shorter, except two longer, orange dyed streaks, which are framing my face. Right now I'm wearing a black tank top with Norse runes on it, as well as some black jeans. And, of course, Chloe's necklace.

Looking down on me and combing through my hair I smile back at her, wryly. "Yeah, looks like I got tired of the old hipster."

Then she combs through her own hair, realizing that it's now longer than her shoulders, most of her dye worn out. Chloe continues to look under her arms and under the blanket. "Shit, now you look like the cool punk-rock chick and I'm the goddamn hippie!" She smirks and I giggle.

Then there is silence again for a short moment. "Four months, huh?" I nod. "So, how've you been all this time without me?"

It's a stupid question and it makes me super angry. It's boiling inside of me again. How have I been? What do you think, Chloe? Of course I had a lot of parties, celebrating the time without you, went crazy with Victoria and finally married Kate. Gosh, I could freak right now! Luckily, I learned to calm myself down. Inhale, count to ten, exhale. Okay Max, it's a special day. No emo-shit! Stick to the positive things. "Well, of course I hella missed you and stayed at your side all the time, like you did when I was knocked out." I take another deep breathe to focus. "Besides that, I started my photographer career with success, attended school more or less and kept me busy with some other stuff."

"Wow, congrats on starting your career!"

I blush a little bit out of modesty. "Thanks." But I don't feel like cheering or hugging her; more like raging and telling her all the other stuff; how I really felt.

Chloe coughs. "Hey…uh…can you bring me some water? My throat feels like…well, actually, it feels like it hasn't been used in a while."

"Sure." I stand up and go to the bathroom. As I pour a glass of water, I look into the mirror. Chill, Max. Calm the fuck down! Chloe's finally awake and all you do is getting angry and all depressed. Damn girl, this should be a happy day, especially for her! You've been through a lot of shit, but also she has, so get a grip of yourself, Caulfield! Inhale, count to ten, exhale. She hasn't reckoned any of it, yet.

As I bring her the water I give her an honest smile. "Here you go!"

"Thanks, Maximus. Bottom's up!" She drinks the whole glass in one draft, and then burps aloud. We both look at each other and start to laugh.

"So, how are you feeling?"

Suddenly she gets all serious again. "Weak, like I did an Iron-Man-contest tenfold, and a little groggy." Again silence. She seems to be in deep thought. "Damn!"

I startle. "What? What is it?"

"I missed Christmas." I know how Chloe loved Christmas as a child. Every year she managed to open her presents before Christmas morning, although Joyce and William held watch over it. She never told me how she did it. But since William died, she never celebrated it ever again, but had already made plans to revive it with me.

"I know, it sucks, but…" I reach into a lower drawer of the bedside table and hand her a wrapped present with a big grin. "…merry late Christmas, Chloe! Hope ya like it!"

"Awww, Max. That's so…c'mere and get your big ass hug." But instead of hugging I just give her a big kiss. It's so good to feel her warm lips on mine again. Damn, I missed her so much. Some tears of joy are flowing down again. I'd love to savor this moment forever, but then, Chloe would never be able to open her present.

As soon as we separate again, she rips open the wrapping and holds a new laptop in her hands. "No way! A new laptop!"

A big smile sparkles over my face as I see her happy. "Cool, huh?"

"Cool? COOL?! This is amazeballs! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"I already copied all your data from the old one on this bad boy. Some pretty kinky stuff you had on it."

"Hey, whatever keeps your engine running in lonely times. Watched some?" There is the old, mocking Chloe I missed so much, grinning impishly all over her face.

And of course, I blush. Damn! Why is it always so hard to stay cool?

"Ha, I knew it! Couldn't keep your hands off yourself, Caulfield?"

I push her arm. "Shut up! It was you, who started my engine after all!" And I smirk back, still a bit embarrassed.

She keeps on smirking and as I look into her eyes I see more than mocking. Is it desire or even lust? Are my eyes radiating the same? I lean in for a kiss and our lips meet again. My heart pounds inside my chest. A warmth forms inside of me and I know, I want her, I want her now!

No, down Max! Keep control! She's not in the condition for this kind of stuff! We separate again, and now I'm the one coughing and try to change the subject. "Hey, you know what day it is?"

Chloe looks at me with a puzzled expression. "Uh, Sunday?"

"Nope."

"Saint-Patricks-Day?"

"Correct month, wrong date."

Chloe stares at me in unbelief. "Maaaax! Just woke up. Head not working properly. More input needed."

I reach down for my bag and get out a small box; all wrapped up in gift wrapping and hand it to her with a big smile. "Happy birthday, my love!"

At first her view changes from me to the present, back to me and so on. Her lips are shivering. Chloe is speechless again. "M-my Birthday?" I nod. "My 20th fucking Birthday?" My head keeps on nodding. "Today?"

"Yep! Now stop staring and open your present, Price!"

As with the last one, she rips the wrapping off and opens the box. "It's a set of keys." I grin at her. "For what?"

"You will see, as soon as you get out of hospital."

"What?! This will be in something about eternity. I want to see it now!" She crosses her arms in front of her chest, putting on a sulking expression.

"Chloe…"

"Now! Now! Now!"

I sigh. "Chloe, you're in no condition for a ride."

"The hell I am! Should I start to wiggle with my toes and hijack the Pussy-Wagon?"

"Chloe…" Damn, why is she so stubborn? But I can't suppress a smile, because of the reference.

"Ha, you're smiling!"

"No, no, no! No way!" I stay adamant! Or am I?

"Maaax. When we were kids, we promised each other to fulfill the birthday girl one wish. Remember?"

Another sigh escapes my mouth. Damn, she's so good. I nod slightly.

She grins victorious. "So, I wish that you take me to my presents, right now!"

Looking into her face I finally give in. "Fine, but just a short look and then we head straight back to the hospital, before anybody notices that you're gone." Chloe now smiles wide over her whole face. "Now wait her for me to get a wheelchair."

Some time goes by as I dress her in some clothes and put her in the wheelchair. Luckily it's pretty warm outside, so some jeans, a tank top and her leather jacket are sufficient. Thank you global warming!

Rolling her out of the hospital is a more complicated thing. We need to avoid the hospital staff and make it through the entrance fast and as inconspicuous as possible, but we manage.

At the parking lot we come to a halt. "So, this is your first present!"

"Where?" She asks, looking around. I embrace her head and turn it towards a blue truck right in front of her. "NO WAY! Is that…is that my truck?"

Now I'm the one grinning at her.

Chloe's mouth stands wide open; she's definitely speechless as she looks at the azure blue truck with a yellow skull and a blue butterfly on the hood.

"Well, not exactly. It got new wheels, new breaks, new shock absorbers, a new engine and electronics. Plus a complete fresh interior and paintjob."

"How could you afford it? I mean I spend over 3000 bucks on this piece of shit and could only keep it barely running."

Leaning towards her face, I stare into her deep blue eyes and give her a teasing kiss on her nose. "I told you, I started my career and therefor sold some of my pictures, did some well-paid jobs and made some cash. David and a pal of his did the mechanical stuff; Rita, Kate and I did the paintjob and the interior."

My blue-haired girlfriend shakes her head. "You're crazy!"

I shrug and smirk. "Yep, I'm fucking insane in the brain. And I figured that you don't want to part from your rust bucket, but also needed a proper ride."

Chloe embraces my neck with her arms and pulls me towards her for a big hug, her voice shivers. "Thanks, Max. Best present ever!"

We separate and I look into her blue eyes again, this time they're watery out of joy. "Care for a ride?"

She smiles. "Let's bail!"

* * *

We drive for some time in silence, as Chloe still tries to look at her refurbished truck. A smile appears on my face as I watch her. As she pushes some buttons on her new stereo, music suddenly blares through the whole cabin out loud, nearly deafening us. But I manage to turn it off, before the ear damage becomes permanent.

"Max?"

"Hmm?"

"You haven't answered my question."

Puzzled I take my sight off the road to look at her. She looks at me, her blue eyes locking onto mine, obviously worried. "What do you mean?"

She sighs. "I asked you, how you've been and you just told me what you've been doing."

Oh no, please Chloe, don't push me. I know, you mean well, but I don't want to talk about it. Not now.

"Max, I know how you must feel. Believe me, I've been down this road too. So please, just talk to me."

Anger starts to rise inside of me again; my grip around the stirring wheel tightens as I try to wrestle it down. "There's nothing to talk about, Chlo. I'm fine."

I look at her and try to fake a smile and seem to fail utterly, because I can see in her eyes that she doesn't believe me. "Fine? Stop shitting me, Caulfield. Your change of style and your behavior; the rage in your eyes. I know the signs and…"

She isn't able to finish her sentence, because I suddenly hit the breaks with full force and the truck comes to an immediate halt in the middle of the road, leaving a pair of tire tracks on the concrete. Now the anger has taken over and I yell at her. "You wanna know how I've been the last for months? You really wanna know? It was hell for me. I couldn't sleep, because I had nightmares and anxiety issues. I was scared, to fall asleep, because I was afraid to wake up in the Dark Room again. Jefferson even haunted me while I was awake, the picture of his corpse imprinted in my brain. I went through therapy to finally accept that I'm not a killer. I shot a human and can't forget about it. Kate, Dana, Joyce and even David tried to help me, but what should I've told them? That I was a time altering menace who fucked up big time? There was no one to talk to about all this shit, only you and you weren't there." Sobbing, I rest my arms and my head on the stirring wheel and start to cry.

Chloe rests on hand on my shoulder. "Max, I…"

My anger has changed into sadness as I continue with a shivering voice. "You know how it feels to lose a loved person. But do you know how hard it is to live in uncertainty? Every time my phone rang I panicked, hoping it wasn't the hospital calling me; telling me that my fiancée will never wake up again. I had to force myself every day to visit you, because I was so scared to just find an empty room. I was so afraid to lose you again." Now I raise my head again and look at Chloe. "You are my only reason to live. I kept on going because of you, otherwise I…I would have…Oh Chloe…"

Jumping out of my seat I hug Chloe like I never want to let go of her again and cry on her shoulder. She strokes my back. "Max, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't around when you needed me the most. But now I am. I'm here. Talk to me! Let me help you!"

I nod and savor the warmth of her body, her breath on my neck, her proximity. "I love you so much, Chloe!"

"Me too, babe. I love you too, my sweet dork."

A soft laugh escapes my mouth. I like it when she mocks me, I missed it so much. Suddenly the comforting silence is disturbed by a bunch of honks and my anger's back again.

Leaning out of the window, I look at the car and the guy that interrupted this solemn moment, showing him the middle finger. "WE'RE HAVING KIND OF A MOMENT HERE, SO SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DRIVE AROUND, YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!"

Back in the car I smile wryly at Chloe, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry!"

But she just grins at me. "Finally found your inner punk, huh?" We both laugh out loud. "Y'know what? I'm hella hungry, let's get some grub at the two whales."

My good mood dissipates in a second. "Are you crazy?! Your mom will be there."

She shrugs. "So? She'll be happy to see me."

"Yes, and after the happiness, follows the rage. Forget it."

"C'mon hippie, pretty please! I could eat one of the two whales right now. By the way, we don't have to tell her the truth. We just tell her, that my condition is so freakin' good that they allowed me a little stroll with my girl."

I sigh and rub my temple. "Fine, at least I won't die alone, if Joyce finds out. And I'm hella hungry too."

The two whales diner has the best food in Arcadia Bay, but isn't very handicap-friendly. So I need to get Chloe up the stairs, into the diner and do the same thing with the wheelchair at the same time; rewind-moment. Luckily, a truck driver gives me a hand, so that there were no superpowers needed. Yay charisma!

As Chloe and I are about to head towards our booth we hear the breaking of glass from behind the counter. Joyce stands there, her hand covering her open mouth, the eyes welling up with tears. She runs towards us.

"Oh my god, Chloe! My sweet baby-girl!" She gives her daughter a big hug and cries. There were only few moments, I witnessed such an emotional moment between the two of them. It's so heartwarming; I nearly start to cry too. Is it bold to take a shot? I don't wait for an answer; take out my cam and make a picture. Both of them separate and look at me.

"What? It looked so gorgeous."

Joyce straightens herself and as I expected to see a smile, her expression changes into an angry one. She crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Who the hell let you out of the hospital?"

Chloe coughs, trying to find the right words to evade the shitstorm. "Uh, they said I was fine enough the make a slight tour with my girl. Y'know, 'cause it's my birthday and things."

"Don't lie to me, young lady! The hospital called me five minutes ago, telling me that you were missing. No one knows where you are. No one released you."

"C'mon, mom. I don't want to spend my whole fucking birthday in a hospital."

Joyce gets angrier, yells and new tears are welling up in her eyes. "Are you even aware of the consequences your little tour around Arcadia Bay might cause? Your body is in no condition for such stress; you haven't moved in over four months. For Christ's sake, this could be your last birthday! And you…!" Now her wet eyes are fixed on me. "I thought you were smarter than this, Max. What were you thinking as you supported this nonsense? Do you love Chloe or want to kill her?"

As her words hit me, I start to cry. She's right, I fucked up. I should've known better. You're such an idiot, Max!

"Don't blame her, mom. It was my idea, she tried to stop me, but I made her swear it." Chloe grabs my hand and squeezes it. Our eyes lock onto each other. "Max is so happy that I'm finally awake, so that she would do anything for me. I took advantage of her. Please…" Her gaze falls on Joyce. "…blame me. I'm responsible."

Chloe's mom looks at her daughter in awe, surprised by her selflessness. She sights. "Fine. Take a seat. I'll call the hospital and tell them, where you are and to send an ambulance."

"But Max wanted to show me my birthday present."

"No! You belong in a hospital! You can see your present when you're released! This is my final word!" Joyce, still pretty pissed marches off behind the counter and we take our seats.

"Shit!" I leave out a big sigh.

Chloe strokes my shoulder. "Dude, chill! You know my mom can't be mad at you. You're just too adorable." She smiles at me, reassuring and gives me a wink.

"But now you won't see what else I got you."

"Well, bummer. Guess it has to wait. Nobody can win against the wrath of Joyce."

And again Chloe manages to make me smile. I really missed her way to deal with shitty situations, to make the best out of it.

Joyce returns to us. "Got off the phone with the hospital, told them that Chloe ran away on her own, so you'll still be able visit her, Max."

As I hear this I smile all over my face, jump out of the booth and hug her. "Thanks Joyce! And sorry for all the trouble."

She hugs me back. "Don't get too cocky. After Chloe's back at the hospital, I'll await you at home. You're in for a long argument, missy! As for the ambulance, it will wait at Chloe's present for her to pick her up there."

"What the actual fuck! Thanks mom! Thanks. Thanks. Thanks!" Chloe is totally freaking out and nearly wants to jump out of the wheelchair, but hugs her belly instead.

"Now, get off me and sit down. I presume you two are not only here for a chat. I'll bring you both a nice oatmeal. My treat." She grins viciously.

"Ugh. You sure that you're not the one, who wants to kill me? I want fries and a burger!"

"You're on a diet! Fries and burger could actually kill you! And since you two are gonna get married, you can share the pain."

Five minutes later we both have a bowl with oatmeal in front of us. It tastes like old newspaper, but at least it fills our stomachs.

We eat our 'delicious' food, say our goodbyes to Joyce and continue our journey.

* * *

Chloe's refurbished truck comes to a halt in front of an old factory building, located in the center of Arcadia Bay. As most of the older structures, its exterior consists of red bricks.

I give Chloe a mischievous smile. "Well, here we are, Miss Price."

She looks out the window and then back to me, clearly radiating unbelief. "Okay, so my second present in inside of this pile of rubble here?" I nod. "Don't tell me that you bought me this shithole. I already have a junkyard as a secret lair; I don't need an abandoned building."

I get out of the truck, take the wheelchair from the back and get Chloe out of the vehicle. "Just wait 'til you see." Give her a peck on her cheek and roll her into the building.

Unlike the exterior, the interior is freshly renovated. The walls are sparkling white. New lights are installed. And a new elevator leads upstairs. I can feel that Chloe becomes more and more tense; and I kinda like it, because you don't see it every day that the invincible Chloe Price is nervous.

"Your keys, please!" I say to her and she hands me them over. Of course I have my own, but it wouldn't be dramatic enough and just plain boring to use them. The doors close and the elevator starts to move. As it stops with a soft Bing, the door opens and we enter a big loft. I step in front of her and spread my arms wide. "Welcome to our new Pirate Fortress!"

She stares at me. I don't know for how long. Until she finally freaks out. "Holy fucking shitballs! This mosh pit is ours and ours alone?"

With a big grin on my face I nod. "Yep, it's ours. Only you and me. No Joyce…" I take a step towards her; my eyes are fixed on hers. "…no David…" Another step takes me even closer to my fiancée. My longing for her returns as I try to imagine the two of us, all alone in this apartment. "…no roommates. Just us." My lips collide with hers as I kneel down and drag her closer to me. Oh I want her! I want her so bad! And Chloe wants me; I can tell by her kissing me back in a far more aggressive way.

Our tongues are swirling around each other. Slight moans escape our mouths. Oh how badly I want to throw her onto our new oversized bed and have my way with her. Gosh, so much lust has been piled up inside of me that it almost drives me crazy. Watching Chloe's kinky stuff didn't help at all. I can't even imagine how Chloe must feel right now, because she always was far more addicted to sex than I am.

Breaking the kiss almost hurts, so much I long for her lips. Leaving them, almost makes me wanna cry again, but I have to. Chloe is in no condition for sex and teasing us won't make it any better. So I put on a slight smile as I bite my bottom lip. "As soon as you're up and running again, you're totally mine!"

"You wish, Caulfield. Your sweet little ass is gonna be MY playing ground!" She sighs. "Fuck, I want you, Max! Right here, right now!"

"I know." My finger rests in her soft lips. "I want you too. But for now, you have an apartment to explore and I need to take a piss. So, have fun exploring!"

With these words and another peck on her slight blushed cheek I leave her on her own for a few minutes.

As I return I see her sitting in front of the huge panorama window. Head down. At first I'm startled, fearing that she might have lost conscious or even worse, but then I see her head moving a bit. And as I move closer I can see that there's something in her lap.

"Max, why are you having this fucking thing in your nightstand?" Her voice is sad, almost breaking. She reaches in her lap and brings forth a gun…my gun.

I look at my feet. "I…uhm…I bought it for self-protection."

"I want you to get rid of it."

"What?! But…"

"No buts, Max." She lifts her head and stares right into my eyes, radiating anger. "You know that these things almost got both of us killed. I don't want any guns around us. I'm done with this stuff!" Now I can see sadness in her eyes again. She rolls her wheelchair towards me, throws the gun onto the floor and as she reaches me, she hugs my belly. "I never ever wanna lose you again, Max!" Chloe starts to sob and I pet her head, brushing through her longer hair.

"Never, you hear me? Never again!" It's moments like this one when I realize that behind the bold punk-girl; behind all this rage and aggression; there is a 19-years old girl. A person with feelings. A person who's in love…with me. My Chloe. My fiancée. My future wife. She's alive and here with me, and I want to keep it this way. I'm gonna get rid of the gun. I won't need it anyway, because my guardian angel is at my side again. Partners in time…partners in crime…partners forever!


	23. Chapter 23: Housewarming

**Chapter 23: Housewarming.**

One of my fondest memories is the moment Chloe got me out of the hospital after what seemed to me like an eternity. But if these few days felt like an eternity, how does it feel to be in a hospital for almost three months? Recovery, physical therapy, medical treatment; Chloe had to go through all of this to recover from her coma. She was very weak from the beginning and our little stroll throughout Arcadia Bay did its additional deed.

Right after she had her breakdown, because of the gun she found, her condition changed rapidly. She almost collapsed, but thankfully the ambulance was already there und took her back to the hospital.

Joyce was really mad at me. I can't even remember the last time somebody yelled at me one hour straight and grounded me for two weeks. I think this last time was when I was 11 years old and Chloe and I demolished dad's computer during our sword fight.

But that's all in the past. Today is the day Chloe's released from hospital! For two days now I'm giddy as fuck. Finally Chloe will be at my site again; finally I don't need to sleep alone anymore; and finally we'll be able to spend some real mushy time…and I mean the smutty one. We tried it once at the hospital, but got instantly caught by a nurse, before we even got rid of our clothes. So we agreed to wait until we have some privacy.

I open the door to Chloe's hospital room and recon that it is empty. Has Chloe already left without me?

"BOOYAH!" She yells, while jumping on my back and I startle, almost having a heart attack. Chloe musters me for a while. "Y'know…boo-yah…like I'm a scary punk ghost?"

My heart beats like crazy and my breathing is near hyperventilating. "It wasn't funny the first time and it sucks even more right now, asshole!"

"Max, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Before she can finish her sentence I jump at her and give her a long kiss. We part and I look in her blue eyes deeply. She wears her typical punk rock clothes: ripped jeans, a lose tank-top, her boots and of course her dark-blue beanie, under which most of her now original strawberry-blonde, short hair is hidden. I smirk at her. "Let's get you home. I got a little surprise for you, dork."

She smirks back. "A surprise? Sounds kinda kinky."

"Get your head out of the gutter, Price. Here…" I pass her the keys for her new truck. "…you can drive." We grab her stuff and head out of the hospital. Finally, no more visits, no more waiting and no more nights alone at home!

Chloe hops into the driver's seat and starts the engine. Her mouth forms a big, mischievous smile as it comes to life with a loud roar. "Dude, we need to go on a road trip with this bad boy!" With squealing tires we fly away from this unholy place of illness and boredom.

It's almost 4 pm as we arrive at our new home. With Chloe's stuff in our hands we enter the elevator. I'm already so excited if Chloe's gonna like the surprise I organized for her. The doors are shutting and before I even know what is happening, Chloe pushes me with full force against the wall of the elevator, crashing her lips onto mine. All I could do is mumble. "Mmmh…'loe…mmh…sh-shdob id…mmh…"

She breaks the kiss for a moment; her voice merely a whisper. "No, Max! I waited for this for so long. I want you, right here, right now!"

And before I could even reply something our lips collide again. Chloe's tongue penetrates past my lips and starts to swirl around mine. Her hands are exploring my body, inch by inch. I know that we shouldn't…no, mustn't do it. I'm all stiff like a plank but the more she caresses me, the more I start to loosen up. Dammit, I need to stop it right now or…or…my mind…shit, my mind goes blank. I'm losing it, I'm…ugh, fuck it! I can't hold it back anymore!

My hands are embracing her head. I take off her beanie and dig my hands deep into her short hair, pressing her head closer to mine. Additionally, I fling my right leg around her left one so that our groins are pressed against each other, while Chloe lets her finger trailing paths on my back until she shoves them past my waistline to knit my butt.

Quiet moans of excitement are escaping our mouths and with a Bing the elevator doors are sliding open. "WELCOME HOME!" a choir of different voices yells.

Chloe's and my eyes open wide in an instant as we break our very intimate kiss. We both turn our heads towards the crowd, which went silent as soon as they saw us getting busy. I see a lot of dropped jaws and blushing faces. The silence is only broken by Rita's loud laugh and cheer. "HAHAHA. YEEES! KEEP ON GOING LADS!"

"Max? What the fuck are our friends and families doing here?" Chloe whispers to me, gazing at me.

I just give her a wry smile back and silently singsong. "Surprise!"

Before Chloe can even reply me, Rita walks right towards us, wraps her arms around our shoulders and nearly drags us out of the elevator. "C'mon, you two love birds! You can fuck later. Now, we get this bloody party started!" This comment makes me and several other guests blush even more.

The music starts playing and the people start their conversations, while Chloe and I go around the room, shaking hands, saying hello and hugging some close persons.

"So, you little vixen organized a surprise-party for me?" Chloe asks while we stand in the kitchen, having a drink. Chloe has a bear and I go for a coke. I know I'm so not party material. Plus, I swore myself to never touch any alcohol again. The consequences would be too severe.

"Actually, it's a surprise/housewarming/late birthday party. But talking about housewarming, I never got the chance to show you our new lair. Want a tour?"

Chloe puts on her wide grin. "Hella yes! And I still hope that it ends in the bedroom…with a happy end, y'know?"

I give her shoulder a soft nudge. "Stop teasing me Price! We almost did it in front of these people and I'm still avoiding my parents so far because of that. So, no happy end in the bedroom for now!" I grab her hand and we head for the crowded living room. "As you may see, this is our chill-zone. Well, at least when there are less people in here. We have a bigass couch…"

"Hmm…big enough to make out on it!" she mocks, earning a serious glare from me.

"…a bigass TV…"

"Maybe we should let the camera roll while we're doing it."

I blush again, but not only because of her kinky comments. "Chloe, stop it!" Her teasing makes me angry, and she knows it. She'll continue to hit this notch until I falter and give in; one of her sides I scarcely missed. But I try to stay calm and continue. "And of course a lot of space to do some stage diving and thrashing. Rita is responsible for the paintjobs and graffiti on the wall. She's a real talent with spray cans and airbrush pistols."

Chloe looks at the paintings. Naturally the main motives are blue butterflies, skulls and, as my personal request, a big clock with broken and twisted indicators. "Nice. Like the style. I wonder if she could paint a picture of you…without clothes of course."

This time I give her a smirk. "Please follow me into the next room." I take her hand we head for the oh-so-holy bedroom. "Something like that?"

My blonde fiancée gazes at the wall above our queen-size bed and sees the nude shot she took of me a long time ago as a big painting. "Holy shitballs! Is this the shot I took?"

Nodding at her, I cross my arms. "Yup, it definitely is and there's some more space for another one." I cross the small distance between us with tiny steps slowly, until I'm face to face with her. My turn to tease her. Seductive voice activated. "Well, Miss Price, how about a private nude shot session tomorrow?" She gulps and I give her a kiss. "Of course you won't be the only one who will be nude." And another teasing kiss. I can feel how her breathing gets rapid, almost shaky. She's on the edge and absolutely speechless, because she never expects me to be offensive; it literally turns her on. Time to cool her down again, before she devours me. "But it has to wait until tomorrow. C'mon Chlo, you haven't seen the best thing so far."

We head for the spiral staircase in the middle of the loft. "I already wondered where these lead to." Chloe says.

"Just follow me slowpoke and you'll see."

As we reach the top of the stairs, Chloe's jaw almost drops to her feet. We're standing on the rooftop, which is filled with a lot of plants and a big sundeck with some furniture. The sun has already started his descend into the ocean and a warm, salty summer breeze brushes over us. "This…is…so…freakin'…amazeballs!"

Just now I realize that we're not alone on the roof. On the far edge stands Kate, arms wrapped around her body, head down. It reminds me of the moment she stood on the roof of the Prescott dormitories, ready to jump. I startle, my voice is merely a whisper. "Katie!"

I know that she won't jump, because in this reality she never experienced that much pain, but still I'm worried and Chloe recognizes it. She touches my shoulder. "I'll get us some drinks. Go. Talk to her. She clearly needs a friend right now."

With a nod of appreciation I give my fiancée a soft kiss and she goes back downstairs while I walk over to Kate. "Katie? Is everything okay?"

Kate doesn't even raise her head, just shakes it. "How can there be everything okay, Max?"

"What do you mean?"

I try to touch her shoulder, but she instantly withdraws it, turns around and I can see fury in her red-cried eyes. "You know exactly what I mean, Max! Don't pretend that there was nothing going on between us."

At first I feel completely overwhelmed and surprised by her words, but as some moments pass by, anger takes over and I start to yell at her. "We both agreed that this kiss was an accident; something that never should've happened!" Kate takes a step back, clearly startled by my sudden outburst. "And still you're bringing it up, right here, right now, making a big scene out of it. Why?" She just stands there, lacking words. Fresh tears are running down her cheeks. And suddenly I know why she brought it up. "Oh, I know why. You saw me and Chloe kissing in the elevator and got jealous, right? RIGHT? Well, time for some reality, Kate. There was and is nothing going on between us. Nothing! I'm engaged with Chloe. I love her! Not you, HER!" Her face grimaces in emotional pain; Kate runs past me and just now I realized that I've broken her heart; her big and kind heart. "Katie, wait! I'm sorry, I…" But it's too late; she already is out of my reach. Angry about myself I take a flowerpot and throw it in the next corner, so that it bursts into a thousand pieces. "FUUUUCK!"

I rest my elbows on the railing, burying my face in my hands. Hot tears are forming in my eyes. I hurt my best friend pretty bad, I know it and I'm feeling so sorry. But what else should I do? Chloe is in fact my fiancée and I certainly love her like crazy, but during the time she was in a coma, Kate was there for me; comforted me. I knew that she had a crush on me, but I never made the impression towards her that there was something between us. Except for this one incident; an incident I'd love to undo.

Suddenly I feel that someone was right beside me and I know who it is. "Y'know, the last time we had this kind of fucked up situation I almost did something really stupid, because I didn't hear you out. I don't want to make the same mistake again, that's why I'll give you a chance to explain this shit I just heard."

A deep sigh escapes my mouth. I feel too ashamed to look at Chloe right now. "It was right before Christmas. I woke up one morning and realized that I would spend the holidays without you. Your condition got worse at this time and I was about to lose all hope. Additionally, the therapy got me depressed like shit.

I laid in bed for two days straight; had no motivation to get up; no motivation to eat or drink. I just wanted it all to be over; these fucked up memories in my head to be gone. I even planned to pull the plug on you and just lay myself at your side, waiting for the eternal sleep to take me over; to reunite us.

But Katie…Katie was there for me. On the second day she just came into my room. She said nothing, just laid herself beside me and gave me a hug. I broke down, finally started to cry. All the pressure left my body in an instant. She saved me, Chlo.

From this moment on I didn't want to sleep alone anymore, so I asked her to sleep in my bed for the next nights and she did. One night I had a dream about you. Even seeing your face in my dreams gave me strength to move on, and every time, before I woke up, I kissed you good bye. But as I woke up one morning, my lips were onto Kate's; we were kissing. I backed off as soon as I recognized what happened and I made Kate swear that this never happened; that it was an accident. But sadly…"

"Kate never saw it the same way."

I shake my head. "No." And sigh again, now looking at her and she returns my gaze with misty eyes. "Chloe, you need to believe me, I never wanted this to happen. I fucked up! And now I'm about to lose my best friend." Chloe just nods in understanding and turns around to leave. Fear grows inside of me; the fear that I'm not only about to lose Kate as a friend, but also to lose my fiancée. "Where are you going?"

Chloe turns her head and looks over her shoulder, giving me a smirk. "I'm gonna talk to Katie, cleaning up your mess, Caulfield! Stay here."

"But you don't even know where she is."

"Dude, firstly, she can't be that far and secondly, Arcadia Bay isn't that big." And then she's gone and I'm alone again.

Sitting down on the floorboards of the sundeck I try to calm down. Why is this shit always happening to me? Ugh, a year ago I was just a shy geek that no one found attractive. I wasn't even interested in this whole relationship stuff and now? Now everyone tries to be my girlfriend. Some people might be flattered, but I think that it sucks.

"So she didn't drop it, huh?"

I don't even turn my head. "And what do you want me to say now? Should I apologize to you and tell you that you were right? Fuck you, Vic!"

Victoria scuffs. "Whoa, look who's bitchy." Then she walks over to me and sits down beside me, taking out a cig and lights it. "But I think a little 'I told you so' is in order." I just answer that with my middle finger and she laughs out loud. "Nice attitude, Maxine. But seriously, Kate has a big crush on you and it was only a matter of time until something like this would happen. You should've come clean with her and Chloe as soon as she woke up."

"I know." Looking into her eyes I scoff. "But I was afraid; afraid of losing everything. I just hope that Chloe can calm her down."

"Y'know what, Max? You should come back down with me and distract yourself a bit. Maybe take a drink or two."

A smile rushes over my face and Victoria smiles back warmly. I know that she just means well. She's really changed. Became caring, dropped her bitchiness and is now one of my best friends. Hopefully Chloe will forgive her soon and accept her too. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll wait up here until Chloe returns. You go back and catch up with Rita before she is completely drunk."

Her expression becomes stern. "Yeah, I should do that or otherwise I won't get my sex tonight."

"As long as you don't do it in my bathroom again, I don't care." I remember exactly the moment when I caught these two horndogs getting it on in the bathroom while we were renovating this very apartment. At first it was unpleasant, then gross and embarrassing, and finally it made me angry and jealous, because I missed Chloe so much.

Victoria squeezes the rest of her burning cig in an empty flowerpot, stands up and walks back to the stairs. "Can't promise you anything." she says with a plain voice, heading downstairs and again, I'm alone.

Time flies by. The sun was setting and I start to worry, until I feel Chloe's presence beside me and it makes me smile. I lean my head onto her shoulder. "How did it go?"

"Great! Kate is not mad at you anymore. She understands your shitty situation and tries to live with the fact that you're not available. She's a real cutie. I understand why you don't want to lose her as a friend."

"Thanks, Chlo! You're the best." I cuddle myself closer to her, closing my eyes and enjoying her closeness.

"I know." She pauses a moment and we enjoy the sunset for a while. "Dude, you have to answer me two questions."

"Shoot!"

"First: Are we really having a hot tub in the bathroom?"

"Yup, just for the two of us and before you say anything, yes, we're gonna do dirty things in it."

"Hella yes! And that brings me to question number two: Why are Victoria and Rita fucking in our bathroom?"

My eyes open suddenly as I back off from Chloe's shoulder, staring at her. "What?!" They did it again!

"Why…are…Victoria…and…Rita…fucking…in…our…bathroom?"

I scratch the back of my head. "Well…" I never told Chloe about Rita and Victoria, because I never would've heard the end of it. "Okay Chlo, Rita and Victoria are together for some time now. I just haven't told you, because you would've ranted about it and it wasn't really official until a week ago."

"Huh!" Again she pauses. Is that all? Just a 'Huh'? She looks at me again. "What? It's fine with me. I know that Rita has a thing for the girls of the Chase-family. It's her life, not mine. I have my little Max here."

"I'm not little, Chlo!"

A sigh escapes her mouth. "I know. You're hella hot! Damn, Max. We should get rid of all these people or I'll explode!"

After giving her a soft kiss I stand up. "C'mon Chlo, let's party a bit more and then we'll throw them all out."

* * *

As the last guests are taking their leave it's almost 11 pm. After the doors of the elevator are closed I rest my forehead against them and sigh out loud. Finally silence!

Two arms embrace me from behind and I smile. "Hey babe, how about some action in our bed now?" Chloe whispers seductively into my ear, while her hands wander around my body.

At first I enjoy her touching, but eventually sigh again in exhaustion. "Chlo, I'm sorry, but I'm totally busted. All this talking and shit. I just want to sleep, but tomorrow we'll get busy the whole day, promised!"

I almost fear that Chloe might be frustrated, because I delayed our well-deserved sex-time again, but she stays calm and shrugs with her shoulders. "That's okay, Max. I don't want to force you. But how about a nice backrub to chillax you a bit?"

"Mmmh, sounds great." Wow, Chloe became a real sweetheart, spoiling me from head to toe. Never thought that she would have such a caring side. I get rid of most of my clothes, except my panties and lie down in our bed, resting my upper body and head on a pillow. Chloe sits down beside me and starts to rub my back, massaging it at the right places. Her hands are pure magic! And as I'm about to fall asleep I feel her knitting my butt cheeks. "That's not my back, Chlo." I say with a wry smile, because eventually it just feels good.

"I know, neither is this." Her hand wanders now into my panties and between my legs. A loud moan escapes me as a jolt of pure lust rushes through my body. My hands are clawing into the pillow. And again she whispers seductively in my ear. "You said that you're not in the mood, but you're telling a whole different story down here. Just relax and let me do everything."

With a quick move I spin around, facing her. I see surprise and a bit disappointment in her eyes, which vanishes as I press my lips onto hers for a long and very passionate kiss. I push myself closer to her body. I'm so ready, so needy. I can't wait anymore. She just triggered my longing for her. I part the kiss, my lustful gaze on her. Now I'm the one whispering. "T-together…I want us to do it together."

Chloe nods and what follows is the most intimate and passionate sex we ever had. Our hands are exploring every inch of our bodies. She flinches a bit as I touch the scars on her stomach and shoulder. I know how she feels and that's why I take her hand and lead it to my scar. I give her a warm and comforting smile. "Badges of eternal friendship." I say and earn a smile from my personal hero, before we continue. The kisses we share are hot, wet and leave love bites all over our bodies. And as we finally reach the peak of our pleasure together, we both moan out loud. Thank dog that we're living alone in this building. The renovated building I got as a compensation for getting shot. Thanks Prescott!

Our breathings are heavy, as we lay beside each other, holding hands, looking at the ceiling as Chloe breaks the silence. "Wow…ser!" I turn my head and look at her; look into her beautiful eyes and we both first smile and then giggle.

We're finally together again! Finally, we can start a life together. Without a storm; without a Jefferson; and without any time altering stuff.


End file.
